Due to their short life histories, small
mammals are useful indicators of environmental health. Despite
this, little or no investigation on the
effects of habitat modification on small mammals’diet in Kenya has
been done. Response of the
forest-dependant Praomys delectorum to anthropogenic disturbance in
different forest patches of the Taita
Hills suggests that it is an opportunistic omnivore as its population
increases with increase in vegetation
intergiditation. This study investigated the effect of habitat
fragmentation on food habits and litter
size of P. delectorum in three sub-populations of the Taita Hills
and the Kyulu Hills population. Food
habits variation was assessed by comparing morphometry of the
gastrointestinal tract while foetuses and
placental scars were used as litter size indicators and the
histology of testes and ovary based on
routine histological techniques A significant difference
(F=2.883*, P= 0.043) in the relative
length of large intestine was noted which suggested variation in
food quality. There was no significant
difference in litter size among the different sub-populations.
Prominent nuclei of primary spermatocytes
in the seminiferous tubules of both abdominal and scrotal
testes were indicative of spermatogenesis
though germ cells organization was clearer in scrotal
testes. The ovary of female with plugged
vagina lacked corpora lutea which were nonetheless
observed in the ovary of females with
perforate vagina though developing Graafian follicles were
observed in both. Thus vaginal condition
is a good indicator of reproductive status in this species.
Praomys delectorum display a digestive
tract adaptation suggestive of an opportunistic feeder. This
may have been due to change in food
habits which could be associated with transformation of natural
habitat into fragments.
Author (s) Details
Jemimah Ayuma Simbauni
Department
of Zoological Sciences, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844-00100, Nairobi,
Kenya.
View Book :- https://bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/book/239
No comments:
Post a Comment