H. Leirs et al., FORECASTING RODENT OUTBREAKS IN AFRICA - AN ECOLOGICAL BASIS FOR MASTOMYS CONTROL IN TANZANIA, Journal of Applied Ecology, 33(5), 1996, pp. 937-943
1. Rainfall data were collated for years preceding historical outbreak
s of Mastomys rats in East Africa in order to test the hypothesis that
such outbreaks occur after long dry periods. 2. Rodent outbreaks were
generally not preceded by long dry periods. 3. Population dynamics of
Mastomys natalensis rats in Tanzania are significantly affected by th
e distribution of rainfall during the rainy season. 4. All previous ro
dent outbreaks in Tanzania were preceded by abundant rainfall early in
the rainy season, i.e, towards the end of the year. 5. A flow chart i
s constructed to assess the likelihood of rodent outbreaks up to 10 mo
nths beforehand, utilizing rainfall data.