Spatial Dynamics of Rodent Population Trends in the Afro-Alpine Moorlands of the Bale Mountains National Park, South-Eastern Ethiopia

The main objective of this paper is explaining the spatial dynamics of rodent population in the Afro-alpine moorlands of the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP). While assessing patterns of rodent abundance, species-specific relationships of abundance with habitat features were evaluated. The habitat variables were percent cover of vegetation and other structural features of the environment. The importance of habitat variables in explaining species-specific patterns in abundance was evaluated using regression modelling. The models were also used to make predictions and corroborate predictions. Percent cover of Alchemilla herbs came out to be the only habitat feature with significant contribution to the predictive value of each model built separately for Arvicanthis blicki, Lophuromys melanonyx and Stenocephalemys albocaudata. Each model then was used to produce estimates of abundance of each species using habitat data collected in 2007 and 2008. The resulting estimates correlated at high statistical significance with what was observed on the ground in both the years.