Small Mammal Community: Habitat Preference and Effects after Selective Logging

Abstract

The present study of small mammals in a Malaysian tropical forest attempts to gain some insight into the corre1ation between their habitat preferences. A 10 ha study plot incIuding primary, old rege ne rating, and riparian forests were established in the Pasoh Forest Reserve (Pasoh FR) and monthly live trapping employing a mark-and-recapture method was conducted over aperiod of four years. Thirteen out of the 17 species of the small mammals predominating at the Pasoh FR, incIuding moonrat, treeshrew, squirre1s, rats and porcupines, were subjected to statistical analysis to determine their habitat preferences. Based on their abundance in the three habitats, they were divided into four categories: 1) primary forest species, 2) rege ne rating forest species, 3) riparian species and 4) ubiquitous species, with a11 the squirre1 species categorised as primary forest species. Several environmental factors may explain the observed habitat preferences of small mammals. The present results indieated that the primary forest habitat is rieh in food resources and spatial heterogeneity, and should thus provide a higher earrying eapaeity than the other two habitats. Although 40 years have elapsed since selective logging was carried out in the 1950s, there are still distinet differences between disturbed and undisturbed forests with respect to the small mammal community. Food resources and spatial heterogeneity may aecount for the differences in mammalian community among the habitats.