Inventory of Non-Volant Small Mammals in the Mixed-land Use Habitats at Pusat Penyelidikan Pertanian Tun Razak, Jerantut, Pahang.

Siti Nur Liyana Roslan; Nor Irdina Anwar; Muhammad Afif Yusof; Hamzah Talibe; Farah Ayuni Farinordin; Nur Amalina Mohd Izam; Nur Athirah  Abdullah; Muhammad Farhan Abd Wahab

doi:10.11113/mjfas.v21n1.3882

Authors

Siti Nur Liyana Roslan Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Pahang Branch, Jengka Campus, 26400 Bandar Tun Razak, Pahang, Malaysia
Nor Irdina Anwar Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Pahang Branch, Jengka Campus, 26400 Bandar Tun Razak, Pahang, Malaysia
Muhammad Afif Yusof Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Pahang Branch, Jengka Campus, 26400 Bandar Tun Razak, Pahang, Malaysia
Hamzah Talibe Crop Protection and Biosolution Department, FGV R&D Sdn Bhd, Tun Razak Agricultural Research Centre, 27000 Jerantut, Pahang, Malaysia
Farah Ayuni Farinordin Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Pahang Branch, Jengka Campus, 26400 Bandar Tun Razak, Pahang, Malaysia
Nur Amalina Mohd Izam Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Pahang Branch, Jengka Campus, 26400 Bandar Tun Razak, Pahang, Malaysia
Nur Athirah Abdullah Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Muhammad Farhan Abd Wahab Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Pahang Branch, Jengka Campus, 26400 Bandar Tun Razak, Pahang, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11113/mjfas.v21n1.3882

Keywords:

Oil palm, orchard, forest, species diversity, bait preferences.

Abstract

The extensive use of land for agriculture has significantly influenced the distribution and diversity of wild species, including small mammals. From 22^nd February to 17^th March 2023, an inventory was conducted to identify the diversity and bait preferences of non-volant small mammals across three localities which are oil palm, orchard and forest area at Pusat Penyelidikan Pertanian Tun Razak (PPPTR), Jerantut, Pahang. A total of 105 individuals representing three families and six species of the orders Rodentia and Scandentia were trapped and identified. Out of this, four species from 26 individuals were caught in the oil palm area, six species from 36 individuals in the orchard, and five species from 43 individuals in the forest area. Rattus tiomanicus was the most abundant species recorded at PPPTR. The Shannon-Wiener Index was calculated and compared, showing that the forest area (H = 1.391) had a greater diversity value than the oil palm (H = 1.293) and orchard (H = 1.367). Simpson's Diversity Index also revealed that the forest area (0.7258) had a higher index value than the oil palm (0.7012) and orchard (0.6852), indicating that the forest area has better habitat suitability for small mammals. The analysis of bait preferences revealed that non-volant small mammals at PPPTR showed a strong preference for oil palm loose fruit, followed by bananas, likely due to dietary habits and food availability in the area. In conclusion, this inventory provides fundamental data on non-volant small mammal diversity in the mixed-land use habitats at PPPTR and offers valuable insights for small mammals’ conservation and agricultural pest management strategies.

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