Cambridge University PhD candidate Mila Plavsic shared her research findings today in a presentation at HOORC about the response of small mammals to fire in the southern Okavango Delta. Plavsic has been looking at establishing when and under what conditions small mammals such as mice, gerbils and shrews recolonise an area that has been abandoned because of burning. Small mammals are an important component in the food chain -- prey for 23 mammal species, 53 bird species and at least 16 snake species in the Delta -- so understanding their habitat and behaviour contributes to our knowledge of habitat requirements of all animals. You can find an article about Plavsic's work, Footprints in the ashes : fire and mice in the Okavango Delta, in HOORC's Library.
No comments:
Post a Comment