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Afromontane small mammals do not follow the hump-shaped rule: altitudinal variation in the Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 December 2014

Peter John Taylor ,
Aubrey Munyai ,
Ian Gaigher  and
Rod Baxter
Peter John Taylor*
Affiliation:
South African Research Chair on Biodiversity Value and Change, School of Mathematical & Natural Science, University of Venda, P Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa Centre for Invasion Biology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Aubrey Munyai
Affiliation:
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Environmental Protection and Resilience, First Floor City House Building, Corner Margaret and Long Street, Kempton Park 1619, South Africa Department of Ecology & Resource Management, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, P Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
Ian Gaigher
Affiliation:
South African Research Chair on Biodiversity Value and Change, School of Mathematical & Natural Science, University of Venda, P Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
Rod Baxter
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology & Resource Management, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, P Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
*
1Corresponding author. Email: peter.taylor.univen@gmail.com
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Abstract:

Altitudinal transects of biodiversity are important to understanding macro-ecological patterns. Hump-shaped altitudinal profiles in species richness are a common pattern in terrestrial small-mammal communities studied previously mostly in New World mountain ranges. Based on capture–mark–recapture live-trapping conducted over four seasons (four nights per session) along an altitudinal transect from 1000 to 1747 m asl on the southern slopes of the Soutpansberg Mountains of northern South Africa, we recorded 12 species of small mammal, including nine rodents, two shrews and one elephant shrew (sengi). Three species of rodent and the sengi dominated the communities whilst six species were recorded with three or fewer captures. Although we found no effect of season, we found a significant linear increase in terrestrial small-mammal richness (but not Simpson's diversity, D) with altitude in the Soutpansberg Mountains located just north of the Tropic of Capricorn in South Africa. This trend could best be explained by an increase in the proportion of rocky cover and a change in vegetation from savanna to grassland. Peak densities of three common rodent species and one common insectivore varied from 10 ha−1 (Elephantulus myurus) to 54 ha−1 (Micaelamys namaquensis) and density showed no significant variation with season. However, density either declined (Aethomys ineptus) or increased (Rhabdomys dilectus and Elephantulus myurus) significantly with altitude; this variation was best explained by the proportion of rocky cover. Seasonal variation had a significant effect on body mass of two rodent species. A review of small-mammal studies from major mountain ranges in Africa and Madagascar found that the hump-shaped pattern is not common. Declines in richness with increasing altitude as well as cases of no significant altitudinal change were the most common patterns noted. Tropical African mountains (including the Soutpansberg with 27 species) have far higher small-mammal diversity than temperate African mountains.

Keywords

abundanceAfricaaltitudeBergmann's Rulehabitatrodentssengisshrewsspecies richness
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , January 2015 , pp. 37 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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