Spatio-temporal home range of the dominant rodent species in Mabira central forest reserve, Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Rodents form the largest order among mammals in terms of species diversity, and home range is the area where an individual normally moves during its normal daily activities. Information about rodent home ranges is paramount in the development of effective conservation and management strategies. This is because rodent home range varies within species and different habitats. In Uganda, tropical high altitude forests such as the Mabira Central Forest Reserve are experiencing continuous disturbance. However, information on rodent home range is lacking. Therefore, a two year Capture-Mark-Release (CMR) of rodents was conducted in the intact forest habitat: Wakisi, regenerating forest habitat: Namananga, and the depleted forest habitat: Namawanyi of Mabira Central Forest Reserve in order to determine the dominant rodent species, their home ranges, and factors affecting these home ranges. The home ranges were determined by calculating a minimum convex polygon with an added boundary strip of 5 m. RESULTS: Overall, the most dominant rodent species were: Lophuromys stanleyi, Hylomyscus stella, Praomys jacksoni Mastomys natalensis, Lophuromys ansorgei, and Lemniscomys striatus. H. stella dominated the intact forest habitat, while L. stanleyi was the most dominant both in the regenerating and the depleted forest habitats. L. stanleyi had a larger home range in the depleted forest, and the regenerating forest habitats, respectively. In the regenerating forest habitat, M. natalensis had a larger home range size, followed by L. stanleyi, and L. striatus. While in the intact forest habitat, H. stella had the largest home range followed by P. jacksoni. H. stella, L. striatus, L. stanleyi, M. natalensis, and P. jacksoni were most dominant during the wet season while L. ansorgei was relatively more dominant during the dry season. L. ansorgei, and P. jacksoni had a larger home range in the dry season, and a lower home range in the wet season. H. stella, L. stanleyi, M. natalansis and L.striatus had larger home ranges in the wet season, and lower home ranges in the dry season.   The home ranges of the dominant rodent species varied across the three habitats in Mabira central forest reserve ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]). CONCLUSION: The significant variation in home ranges of the dominant rodent species in Mabira Central Forest Reserve depending on the type of habitat presupposes that the rodent management strategies in disturbed forest reserves should focus on the type of habitat.

Influence of vegetation structure, seasonality, and soil properties on rodent diversi community assemblages in west Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Rodent diversity and community assemblages are affected by several biotic and abiotic factors such as vegetation structure and seasonality. Vegetation structure particularly ground cover influences rodent diversity and community assemblages through provision of food resources and protection from predators. Such information is important for understanding species-habitat relationships for management and conservation. This study was conducted to determine the influence of vegetation structure, seasonality, and soil properties on species richness, abundance, community assemblages, and habitat association of rodents in west Mt Kilimanjaro. Rodent trapping was conducted using removal and capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods with medium-sized Sherman's live traps, snap, and Havarhart traps. Rodents were trapped during wet and dry seasons for three consecutive nights at 4 weeks intervals from April 2020 to March 2021. Environmental variables including vegetation structure, soil physical properties, and disturbance levels were recorded for each habitat type. Fourteen species of rodents were trapped in 25,956 trap nights. Rhabdomys pumilio, Praomys delectorum, and Lophuromys verhageni were the most dominant species across all habitats and seasons. L.verhageni occurred in all habitats while R.pumilio was restricted from occurring in montane forests. Moreover, species richness and abundance were influenced by habitat types, seasonality, soil type, and ground cover. Generally, both species richness and abundance were higher in fallows and montane forests and significantly lower in plantation forest and agricultural fields. In addition, rodent diversity was highest in fallows, followed by montane forests, and lowest in agricultural fields. Furthermore, rodents were associated with habitat types and vegetation structure forming two major community assemblages that significantly differed between habitats. Our study conclude that, community assemblages of rodents on Mt. Kilimanjaro were affected by functional spatial heterogeneity of the habitats occupied. Therefore, use of different habitats by rodents may be indicative of the landscape integrity and ecosystem changes based on species assemblages.

Impact of contraceptive hormones on the reproductive potential of male and female commensal black rats (Rattus rattus).

The black rat is considered one of the world's top pests. With increased restrictions on rodenticides, new alternatives to manage rats are urgently needed. Research on the use of contraceptive hormones, levonorgestrel (LE), and quinestrol (QU), have been evaluated against some rodent species, and this research is the first study to assess these on black rats. Hormones were incorporated into rodent bait at 10 and 50 ppm concentrations singly and in combination (EP-1). Groups of 10 animals of each sex were fed the baits over 7 days. Lower bait consumption was observed with slight body mass reductions. On dissection, it was observed that the uterus was in a state of edema and male reproductive organs weighed less with reduced sperm counts/motility. The 2 most promising baits, 50 ppm QU and EP-1, were used to assess impact on pregnancy and litter size. Pregnancy was reduced from 70% success when both males and females consumed untreated bait, down to 30% when males had consumed contraceptive bait but females had not, and down to 0% when females had consumed contraceptive bait, regardless of whether they had paired with a treated or untreated male. Litter size in the untreated pairs was 8 pups, but only 4 pups in those cases where the male only had consumed the contraceptive. Further studies should investigate how long the effect lasts and its reversibility. Field studies at the population level may also shed light on the practicality of using contraceptive baits for black rats in different habitats.

Effects of forest disturbance on the fitness of an endemic rodent in a biodiversity hotspot.

Praomys delectorum occurs abundantly in both disturbed and intact forests in the Ukaguru Mountains within the Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM), Morogoro, Tanzania. While previous studies have reported that anthropogenic disturbances such as grazing, wood cutting, and harvesting have a positive effect on the population density of P. delectorum, the impact of habitat disturbance on its demographic traits is still unknown. We performed a capture-mark-recapture study in both disturbed and intact forests from June 2018 to February 2020 in order to investigate the effects of habitat disturbance on abundance and two demographic traits: survival and maturation of P. delectorum in the Ukaguru Mountains. We found no variation in abundance or maturation between intact and disturbed forests, but habitat type did affect survival. However, this effect was sex-dependent since female survival was higher in disturbed forests, while male survival remained similar across the two forest types potentially due to differences in predation pressure or food availability between the two habitats. Continuous demographic monitoring of P. delectorum in EAM is necessary given that the increasing human population surrounding the landscape is leading to higher deforestation rates and expansion of the pine plantation in the forest reserve.

Comparative assessment on rodent impacts and cultural perceptions of ecologically based rodent management in 3 Afro-Malagasy farming regions.

Rodents generate negative consequences for smallholder farmers in Africa that directly impact household and livestock damage, food security, and public health. Ecologically Based Rodent Management (EBRM) seeks sustainable solutions for the mitigation of rodent damage through assessments of rodent population dynamics, agro-ecosystems, and socio-cultural contexts. We adopt a comparative approach across 3 rural Afro-Malagasy smallholder farming regions in South Africa, Tanzania, and Madagascar to assess the household impacts of rodent pests and current perceptions and preferences associated with several rodent control measures. We conducted focus group questionnaires and interviews in different study site locations. Rodents assert multiple impacts on Afro-Malagasy farmers demonstrating recurrent and emerging agricultural and household costs, and public health impacts. We identify a significant knowledge gap in educating communities about the application of different EBRM approaches in favor of acute poisons that are perceived to be more effective. Cultural issues and taboos also have a significant impact on the social acceptance of rodent hunting as well as biological control using indigenous predators. We advocate for an enhanced investigation of the socio-cultural beliefs associated with different rodent practices to understand the factors underlying social acceptance. A collaborative approach that integrates the perspectives of target communities to inform the design of EBRM initiatives according to the specific agro-ecosystem and socio-cultural context is necessary to ensure programmatic success.

Species composition and community structure of small pest rodents (Muridae) in cultivated and fallow fields in maize-growing areas in Mayuge district, Eastern Uganda.

Pest rodents remain key biotic constraints to cereal crops production in the East African region where they occur, especially in seasons of outbreaks. Despite that, Uganda has scant information on rodents as crop pests to guide effective management strategies.A capture-mark-recapture (CMR) technique was employed to study the ecology of small rodents, specifically to establish the species composition and community structure in a maize-based agro ecosystem. Trapping of small rodents was conducted in permanent fallow land and cultivated fields, with each category replicated twice making four study grids. At each field, a 60 × 60 m grid was measured and marked with permanent trapping points spaced at 10 × 10 m, making a total of 49 trapping points/grids. Trapping was conducted monthly at 4-week interval for three consecutive days for two and half years using Sherman live traps.Eleven identified small rodent species and one insectivorous small mammal were recorded with Mastomys natalensis being the most dominant species (over 60.7%). Other species were Mus triton (16.1%), Aethomys hendei (6.7%), Lemniscomys zebra (5.2%), Lophuromys sikapusi (4.8%), Arvicanthis niloticus (0.9%), Gerbilliscus kempi (0.1%), Graphiurus murinus (0.1%), Steatomys parvus (0.1%), Dasymys incomtus (0.1%), and Grammomys dolichurus (0.1%). Spatially, species richness differed significantly (p = 0.0001) between the studied field habitats with significantly higher richness in fallow land compared with cultivated fields.Temporally, total species richness and abundance showed a significant interaction effect over the months, years, and fields of trapping with significantly (p = 0.001) higher abundances during months of wet seasons and in the first and third year of trapping. In terms of community structure, higher species diversity associated more with fallow field habitats but also with certain rare species found only in cultivated fields.Synthesis and applications. Based on these findings, management strategies can be designed to target the key pest species and the most vulnerable habitats thus reducing the impact they can inflict on field crops.

Arenavirus infection correlates with lower survival of its natural rodent host in a long-term capture-mark-recapture study.

BACKGROUND: Parasite evolution is hypothesized to select for levels of parasite virulence that maximise transmission success. When host population densities fluctuate, low levels of virulence with limited impact on the host are expected, as this should increase the likelihood of surviving periods of low host density. We examined the effects of Morogoro arenavirus on the survival and recapture probability of multimammate mice (Mastomys natalensis) using a seven-year capture-mark-recapture time series. Mastomys natalensis is the natural host of Morogoro virus and is known for its strong seasonal density fluctuations. RESULTS: Antibody presence was negatively correlated with survival probability (effect size: 5-8% per month depending on season) but positively with recapture probability (effect size: 8%). CONCLUSIONS: The small negative correlation between host survival probability and antibody presence suggests that either the virus has a negative effect on host condition, or that hosts with lower survival probability are more likely to obtain Morogoro virus infection, for example due to particular behavioural or immunological traits. The latter hypothesis is supported by the positive correlation between antibody status and recapture probability which suggests that risky behaviour might increase the probability of becoming infected.

Correction: A systematic review of rodent pest research in Afro-Malagasy small-holder farming systems: Are we asking the right questions?

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174554.].

A systematic review of rodent pest research in Afro-Malagasy small-holder farming systems: Are we asking the right questions?

Rodent pests are especially problematic in terms of agriculture and public health since they can inflict considerable economic damage associated with their abundance, diversity, generalist feeding habits and high reproductive rates. To quantify rodent pest impacts and identify trends in rodent pest research impacting on small-holder agriculture in the Afro-Malagasy region we did a systematic review of research outputs from 1910 to 2015, by developing an a priori defined set of criteria to allow for replication of the review process. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We reviewed 162 publications, and while rodent pest research was spatially distributed across Africa (32 countries, including Madagascar), there was a disparity in number of studies per country with research biased towards four countries (Tanzania [25%], Nigeria [9%], Ethiopia [9%], Kenya [8%]) accounting for 51% of all rodent pest research in the Afro-Malagasy region. There was a disparity in the research themes addressed by Tanzanian publications compared to publications from the rest of the Afro-Malagasy region where research in Tanzania had a much more applied focus (50%) compared to a more basic research approach (92%) in the rest of the Afro-Malagasy region. We found that pest rodents have a significant negative effect on the Afro-Malagasy small-holder farming communities. Crop losses varied between cropping stages, storage and crops and the highest losses occurred during early cropping stages (46% median loss during seedling stage) and the mature stage (15% median loss). There was a scarcity of studies investigating the effectiveness of various management actions on rodent pest damage and population abundance. Our analysis highlights that there are inadequate empirical studies focused on developing sustainable control methods for rodent pests and rodent pests in the Africa-Malagasy context is generally ignored as a research topic.

Leptospira Serovars for Diagnosis of Leptospirosis in Humans and Animals in Africa: Common Leptospira Isolates and Reservoir Hosts.

The burden of leptospirosis in humans and animals in Africa is higher than that reported from other parts of the world. However, the disease is not routinely diagnosed in the continent. One of major factors limiting diagnosis is the poor availability of live isolates of locally circulating Leptospira serovars for inclusion in the antigen panel of the gold standard microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for detecting antibodies against leptospirosis. To gain insight in Leptospira serovars and their natural hosts occurring in Tanzania, concomitantly enabling the improvement of the MAT by inclusion of fresh local isolates, a total of 52 Leptospira isolates were obtained from fresh urine and kidney homogenates, collected between 1996 and 2006 from small mammals, cattle and pigs. Isolates were identified by serogrouping, cross agglutination absorption test (CAAT), and molecular typing. Common Leptospira serovars with their respective animal hosts were: Sokoine (cattle and rodents); Kenya (rodents and shrews); Mwogolo (rodents); Lora (rodents); Qunjian (rodent); serogroup Grippotyphosa (cattle); and an unknown serogroup from pigs. Inclusion of local serovars particularly serovar Sokoine in MAT revealed a 10-fold increase in leptospirosis prevalence in Tanzania from 1.9% to 16.9% in rodents and 0.26% to 10.75% in humans. This indicates that local serovars are useful for diagnosis of human and animal leptospirosis in Tanzania and other African countries.

Distribution and ecology of lesser pouched rat, Beamys hindei, in Tanzanian coastal forests.

The lesser pouched rat, Beamys hindei, is a small rodent that is patchily distributed in the Eastern Arc Mountains and coastal forests in East Africa. The ecology of this species and its current distribution in coastal forests is not well known. Therefore, we conducted a study in selected coastal forests to assess the current distribution of the species and to investigate the population ecology in terms of abundance fluctuations and demographic patterns. Assessments of the species distribution were conducted in 5 forests through trapping with Sherman live traps. Data on ecology were obtained from monthly capture-mark-recapture studies conducted for 5 consecutive nights per month in two 1 ha grids set in Zaraninge Forest over a 2-year period. The results indicate the presence of B. hindei in 3 forests where it was not previously recorded. The population abundance estimates ranged from 1 to 40 animals per month, with high numbers recorded during rainy seasons. Reproduction patterns and sex ratios did not differ between months. Survival estimates were not influenced by season, and recruitment was low, with growth rate estimates of 1 animal per month. These estimates suggest a stable population of B. hindei in Zaraninge Forest. Further studies are recommended to establish the home range, diet and burrowing behavior of the species in coastal forests in East Africa.

Constitutional mismatch repair-deficiency and whole-exome sequencing as the means of the rapid detection of the causative MSH6 defect.

BACKGROUND: Cases of children with more than one type of cancer either diagnosed simultaneously or successively, rarely occur in pediatric oncology. A second malignant neoplasm may be caused by mutagenic effects of the treatment of the primary malignancy and/or may point towards an underlying genetic cancer susceptibility syndrome. One example of such a syndrome is constitutional mismatch repair-deficiency, (CMMR-D) which carries an increased risk of various tumors including childhood hematologic malignancies and Lynch syndrome associated tumors. Timely diagnosis of CMMR-D is crucial, since this diagnosis has implications for the entire family. PATIENT: We report the case of a 15-year-old girl who was born to consanguineous parents. At the age of 20 months she was diagnosed with a T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Treatment was given according to NHL-BFM 95. 12 years later, an invasive adenocarcinoma of the colon was surgically removed which relapsed shortly afterwards. METHODS: Whole-exome sequencing of germline DNA was employed to rapidly detect the underlying mutation in this suspected CMMR-D patient. RESULTS: After a short turnaround time of less than 3 weeks, the diagnosis of CMMR-D could be confirmed by the identification of a homozygous 29-bp deletion in MSH6 (exon 6), which was confirmed by independent methods. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that "bed-side" whole-exome sequencing is both feasible and cost-effective and may be the method of choice to rapidly uncover the genetical basis of (inherited) diseases.

Magnetism in single metalloorganic complexes formed by atom manipulation.

The magnetic properties of molecular structures can be tailored by chemical synthesis or bottom-up assembly at the atomic scale. We used scanning tunneling microscopy to study charge and spin transfer in individual complexes of transition metals with the charge acceptor, tetracyanoethylene (TCNE). The complexes were formed on a thin insulator, Cu2N on Cu(100), by manipulation of individual atoms and molecules. The Cu2N layer decouples the complexes from Cu electron density, enabling direct imaging of the TCNE molecular orbitals as well as spin-flip inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy. Results were obtained at low temperature down to 1 K and in magnetic fields up to 7 T in order to resolve splitting of spin states in the complexes. We also performed spin-polarized density functional theory calculations to compare with the experimental data. Our results indicate that charge transfer to TCNE leads to a change in spin magnitude, Kondo resonance, and magnetic anisotropy for the metal atoms.

Human activity spaces and plague risks in three contrasting landscapes in Lushoto District, Tanzania.

Since 1980 plague has been a human threat in the Western Usambara Mountains in Tanzania. However, the spatial-temporal pattern of plague occurrence remains poorly understood. The main objective of this study was to gain understanding of human activity patterns in relation to spatial distribution of fleas in Lushoto District. Data were collected in three landscapes differing in plague incidence. Field survey coupled with Geographic Information System (GIS) and physical sample collections were used to collect data in wet (April to June 2012) and dry (August to October 2012) seasons. Data analysis was done using GIS, one-way ANOVA and nonparametric statistical tools. The degree of spatial co-occurrence of potential disease vectors (fleas) and humans in Lushoto focus differs significantly (p ≤ 0.05) among the selected landscapes, and in both seasons. This trend gives a coarse indication of the possible association of the plague outbreaks and the human frequencies of contacting environments with fleas. The study suggests that plague surveillance and control programmes at landscape scale should consider the existence of plague vector contagion risk gradient from high to low incidence landscapes due to human presence and intensity of activities.

Predicting small mammal and flea abundance using landform and soil properties in a plague endemic area in Lushoto District, Tanzania.

Small mammals particularly rodents, are considered the primary natural hosts of plague. Literature suggests that plague persistence in natural foci has a root cause in soils. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between on the one hand landforms and associated soil properties, and on the other hand small mammals and fleas in West Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, a plague endemic area. Standard field survey methods coupled with Geographical Information System (GIS) technique were used to examine landform and soils characteristics. Soil samples were analysed in the laboratory for physico-chemical properties. Small mammals were trapped on pre-established landform positions and identified to genus/species level. Fleas were removed from the trapped small mammals and counted. Exploration of landform and soil data was done using ArcGIS Toolbox functions and descriptive statistical analysis. The relationships between landforms, soils, small mammals and fleas were established by generalised linear regression model (GLM) operated in R statistics software. Results show that landforms and soils influence the abundance of small mammals and fleas and their spatial distribution. The abundance of small mammals and fleas increased with increase in elevation. Small mammal species richness also increases with elevation. A landform-soil model shows that available phosphorus, slope aspect and elevation were statistically significant predictors explaining richness and abundance of small mammals. Fleas' abundance and spatial distribution were influenced by hill-shade, available phosphorus and base saturation. The study suggests that landforms and soils have a strong influence on the richness and evenness of small mammals and their fleas' abundance hence could be used to explain plague dynamics in the area.

Small mammal distribution and diversity in a plague endemic area in West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania.

Small mammals play a role in plague transmission as hosts in all plague endemic areas. Information on distribution and diversity of small mammals is therefore important for plague surveillance and control in such areas. The objective of this study was to investigate small mammals' diversity and their distribution in plague endemic area in the West Usambara Mountains in north-eastern Tanzania. Landsat images and field surveys were used to select trapping locations in different landscapes. Three landscapes with different habitats were selected for trapping of small mammals. Three types of trap were used in order to maximise the number of species captured. In total, 188 animals and thirteen species were captured in 4,905 trap nights. Praomys delectorum and Mastomys natalensis both reported as plague hosts comprised 50% of all the animals trapped. Trap success increased with altitude. Species diversity was higher in plantation forest followed by shrub, compared to other habitats, regardless of landscape type. It would therefore seem that chances of plague transmission from small mammals to humans are much higher under shrub, natural and plantation forest habitats.

Landform and surface attributes for prediction of rodent burrows in the Western Usambara Mountains, Tanzania.

Previous studies suggest that rodent burrows, a proxy for rodent population are important for predicting plague risk areas. However, studies that link landform, surface attributes and rodent burrows in the Western Usambara Mountains in Tanzania are scanty. Therefore, this study was conducted in plague endemic area of the Western Usambara Mountains in northern, Tanzania, to explore the relationship between rodent burrows, and landform and surface attributes. The study was carried out in three areas corresponding to high (Lokome), medium (Lukozi) and low.(Mwangoi) frequency of reported plague cases. Data were collected from 117, 200 and 170 observation sites for Lokome, Lukozi and Mwangoi, respectively using 100 m x 200 m quadrats. Remote sensing and field surveys were used to collect data on landform and surface attributes. Rodent burrows were surveyed and quantified by counting the number of burrows in 20m x 20m grids demarcated on the main 100m x 200m quadrats. The collected data were analysed in R software using boosted regression trees (BRT) technique. Rodent burrows were found at an elevation of above 1600m in the high and medium plague frequency landscapes. No burrows were found in the low plague frequency landscape situated below 1500m. BRT analysis shows a significant relationship between landform characteristics and rodent burrows in both high and medium plague frequency landscapes. Overall, elevation and hillshade are the most important determinants of rodent burrow distribution in the studied landscapes. It is concluded that in high altitudes, specific landform attributes (hill-shade, slope, elevation) and vegetation cover- favour rodent burrowing.

Vegetation habitats and small mammals in a plague endemic area in Western Usambara Mountains, Tanzania.

Human plague still exists in different parts of the world, including some landscapes in north-eastern Tanzania. Wherever the hotspot of plague, small mammals seem to play a key role as host. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between vegetation habitats types and small mammals in a plague endemic area of Lushoto District in Tanzania. A combination of field survey and Landsat images was used to identify the vegetation habitats. Small mammals were trapped in the mapped vegetation units, and identified. In total, six main types of vegetation habitats were investigated. A total of 13 small mammal species, potentially related to plague were trapped. Results show that annual cultivated crops habitat accounted for 80% of Mastomys natalensis while natural forest accounted for 60% of Praomys delectorum. These findings have shed new light on the diversity of rodents in different habitats of natural and semi-natural vegetations, and agricultural crops in the study area, which is an important intermediate step in unravelling the complex human plague system.

Integrating land cover and terrain characteristics to explain plague risks in Western Usambara Mountains, Tanzania: a geospatial approach.

Literature suggests that higher resolution remote sensing data integrated in Geographic Information System (GIS) can provide greater possibility to refine the analysis of land cover and terrain characteristics for explanation of abundance and distribution of plague hosts and vectors and hence of health risk hazards to humans. These technologies are not widely used in East Africa for studies on diseases including plague. The objective of this study was to refine the analysis of single and combined land cover and terrain characteristics in order to gain an insight into localized plague infection risks in the West Usambara Mountains in north-eastern Tanzania. The study used a geospatial approach to assess the influence of land cover and terrain factors on the abundance and spatial distribution of plague hosts (small mammals) and plague vectors (fleas). It considered different levels of scale and resolution. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) statistical method was used to clarify the relationships between land cover and terrain variables with small mammals and fleas. Results indicate that elevation positively influenced the presence of small mammals. The presence of fleas was clearly influenced by land management features such as miraba. Medium to high resolution remotely sensed data integrated in a GIS have been found to be quite useful in this type of analysis. These findings contribute to efforts on plague surveillance and awareness creation among communities on the probable risks associated with various landscape factors during epidemics.

Land use determinants of small mammal abundance and distribution in a plague endemic area of Lushoto District, Tanzania.

Small mammals are considered to be involved in the transmission cycle of bubonic plague, still occurring in different parts of the world, including the Lushoto District in Tanzania. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between land use types and practices and small mammal abundance and distribution. A field survey was used to collect data in three landscapes differing in plague incidences. Data collection was done both in the wet season (April-June 2012) and dry season (August-October 2012). Analysis of variance and Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) modelling technique were used to establish the relationship between land use and small mammal abundance and distribution. Significant variations (p ≤ 0.05) of small mammal abundance among land use types were identified. Plantation forest with farming, natural forest and fallow had higher populations of small mammals than the other aggregated land use types. The influence of individual land use types on small mammal abundance level showed that, in both dry and wet seasons, miraba and fallow tended to favour small mammals' habitation whereas land tillage practices had the opposite effect. In addition, during the wet season crop types such as potato and maize appeared to positively influence the distribution and abundance of small mammals which was attributed to both shelter and food availability. Based on the findings from this study it is recommended that future efforts to predict and map spatial and temporal human plague infection risk at fine scale should consider the role played by land use and associated human activities on small mammal abundance and distribution.