Aude Lalis, Emilie Lecompte, Raphaël Cornette, Sybille Moulin, Robert S. Machangu, Rhodes Makundi, Vladimir M. Aniskine, Christiane Denys
Polymorphism of the age population structure of two wild Mastomys natalensis (Rodentia: Muridae) Tanzanian habitat samples: a multicriteria comparison / Polymorphisme de la structure de l'âge dans deux populations sauvages de Mast
To study the age structure of two different samples of Mastomys natalensis during a dry period, we use three different approaches: body weight, tooth wear and eye lens weight. According to each of these techniques, our samples are made up principally of young individuals. Fisher's exact test of significance shows that gender does not appear to be a significant variable between the two samples. These results are consistent with the population cycling of this species and confirm its important dispersion potential. Moreover, in the low rainfall context of winter 2003, our data suggest age differences between the two samples from different habitats. In this study, the variable best correlated with age was eye lens weight for the first age class. The body weight method seems the best adapted to the sampling conditions (small sample size, reproduction period) and its objectives (instantaneous age determination of samples). This study shows that even with limited data sets, some simple precautions during manipulation and a clear understanding of methodological limits provide informative results. If combined with detailed morphological descriptions and molecular variation, these results should give new insights into differentiation processes and models for M. natalensis.
Mammalia, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 0025-1461
Volume: 70, 03/2006
Pages: 293 - 299
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