Diversity of medium and large-sized mammals
During this study, 647 observational records of medium and large-sized mammals, belonging to 17 species, and grouped into 11 families and five orders; such as Primates, Artiodactyla, Rodentia, Carnivora, and Lagomorpha were documented. The species include Anubis baboon (Papio anubis), Vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiopus), Colobus monkey (Colobus guereza), Common duiker (Sylvicapra girmma), Bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus), Bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus), Giant root-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), Porcupine (Hystrix cristatea), Common jackal (Canis aureus), Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), African civet (Civettictis civetta), Common genet (Genetta abyssinica), White-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda), African wild cat (Felis lybica), Serval cat (Felis serval), Lion (Panthera leo), Abyssinian hare (Lepus habessinicus) (Table 3).
Most of Porcupine (Hystrix cristata), colobus monkey (Colobus guereza), Anubis baboon (Papio anubis), Abyssinian hare (Lepushabe essinicus), Vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiopus), Common genet (Genetta abyssinica), African wild cat (Felis lybica), common jackal (Canis aureus), Giant root-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), White-tailed mongoose (Ichneumina lbicauda) and African civet (Civettictis civetta) were medium-sized mammals and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), Serval cat (Felis serval), Bush pig (Potamochoerular vatus), Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), Lion (Panthera Leo), and common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) were the large mammals of the study area.
Based on the species composition in the three habitat types Anubis baboon (Papio anubis), Porcupine (Hystrix cristatea), and Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) were the most common mammals which were recorded in all the habitat types, while Lion (Panthera leo) were recorded only in one of the habitat types (Grassland habitat). At the family level, Cercopithecidae, Felidae, Bovidae, and Viverridae were the dominant families: while Suidae, Spaclacidae, Hystricidae, Canidae, Hyaenidae, Herpestidae, and Leporidae were the less represented families in the study area.
Among the five orders identified; order Rodentia and order Artiodctayla were represented each by two families, while the other orders Primates and Lagomorpha by one species, and the order Carnivora represented by five families. Based on the species, the order Carnivora was represented by the highest number of species (N = 8) followed by the Primates and Artiodctayla (N = 3) each. The rest orders Rodentia and Lagomorpha were represented by two and one species, respectively (Table 3).
The researcher classified the recorded mammals as directly observed and indirect pieces of evidence and among them nine of the recorded mammal species such as Papio anubis, Cercopithecus aethiopus, Colobus guereza, Canis aureus, Crocuta crocuta, Sylvicapra girmma, Ichneumia albicauda, Lepus habessinicus, Tragelaphus sylvaticus were directly observed inside the forest. Three indirectly recorded mammal species such as Potamochoerus larvatus, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, Genetta abyssinica were identified through patterns of tracks they left behind. Besides these, Hystrix cristatea and Civettictis civetta were identified by the evidence of scats. While Serval cat (Felis serval) and African wild cat (Felis lybica) were recorded by the identification of dungs. However, species Panthera leo was assured of its presence by the local villager’s informed witness.
Table 3
Diversity of medium and large size mammalian species in Michole Community Forest
Order
|
Family
|
Species
|
Common name
|
Season
|
Total
|
Dry
|
Wet
|
Primates
|
Cercopithecidae
|
Papio anubis
|
Anubis baboon
|
45
|
53
|
98
|
Cercopithecus aethiopus
|
Vervet monkey
|
31
|
36
|
67
|
Colobus guereza
|
Colobus monkey
|
8
|
13
|
21
|
Artiodactyla
|
Bovidae
|
Sylvicapra girmma
|
Common duiker
|
26
|
31
|
57
|
Tragelaphus sylvaticus
|
Bush buck
|
5
|
11
|
16
|
Suidae
|
Potamochoerus larvatus
|
Bush pig
|
11
|
17
|
28
|
Rodentia
|
Spaclacidae
|
Tachyoryctes macrocephalus
|
Giant root-rat
|
30
|
26
|
56
|
Hystricidae
|
Hystrix Cristatea
|
Porcupine
|
37
|
44
|
81
|
Carnivora
|
Canidae
|
Canis aureus
|
Common jackal
|
17
|
22
|
39
|
Hyaenidae
|
Corcuta corcuta
|
Spotted hyena
|
51
|
33
|
84
|
Viverridae
|
Civettictis civetta
|
African civet
|
7
|
10
|
17
|
Genetta abyssinica
|
Common genet
|
8
|
4
|
12
|
Herpestidae
|
Ichneumia albicauda
|
White tailed mongoose
|
16
|
10
|
26
|
Felidae
|
Felis lybica
|
African wild cat
|
4
|
6
|
10
|
Felis serval
|
Serval Cat
|
4
|
3
|
7
|
Panthera leo
|
Lion
|
2
|
4
|
6
|
Lagomorpha
|
Leporidae
|
Lepus habessinicus
|
Abyssinian hare
|
8
|
14
|
22
|
The number of individual observations recorded, and the relative frequency of each mammalian species were presented in Table 4 below. During the dry season, the Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) has the highest relative frequency of 16.45% (N = 51), and the least relative frequency of 0.65% (N = 2) was for the Lion (Panthera leo). During the wet season, the Anubis baboon (Papio anubis) was with the highest frequency of 15.73% (N = 53), and the Serval cat (Felis serval) with the lowest frequency of 0.89% (N = 3).
Table 4
Relative abundance of medium and large-sized mammalian species in Michole Forest
Common Name
|
Dry Season
|
Wet Season
|
Number of Mammals
|
Relative abundance
|
Number of mammals
|
Relative abundance
|
Anubis baboon
|
45
|
14.51
|
53
|
15.73
|
Vervet monkey
|
31
|
10.00
|
36
|
10.68
|
Colobus monkey
|
8
|
2.58
|
13
|
3.86
|
Common duiker
|
26
|
8.39
|
31
|
9.20
|
Bushbuck
|
5
|
1.61
|
11
|
3.26
|
Bushpig
|
11
|
3.55
|
17
|
5.04
|
Giant root-rat
|
30
|
9.68
|
26
|
7.72
|
Porcupine
|
37
|
11.94
|
44
|
13.05
|
Common jackal
|
17
|
5.48
|
22
|
6.53
|
Spotted hyena
|
51
|
16.45
|
33
|
9.79
|
African civet
|
7
|
2.26
|
10
|
2.97
|
Common genet
|
8
|
2.58
|
4
|
1.19
|
White-tailed mongoose
|
16
|
5.16
|
10
|
2.97
|
African wild cat
|
4
|
1.29
|
6
|
1.78
|
Serval Cat
|
4
|
1.29
|
3
|
0.89
|
Lion
|
2
|
0.65
|
4
|
1.19
|
Abyssinian hare
|
8
|
2.58
|
14
|
4.15
|
Total
|
310
|
100
|
337
|
100
|
On the other hand, the study also revealed that the relative abundance of the different species varied between 0-18.84% in the dry season and 0-21.54% in the wet season in the riverine forest habitat, while in the woodland habitat the relative abundance was between 0-15.89% in the dry season, and between 0 and 17.92% during the wet season. The relative abundance of the species in the grassland habitat was varied from 0 to 26.32% during the dry season and from 0 to 17.1% during the wet season (Table 5 and Table 6).
Table 5
Relative abundance of species in the three habitat types during the dry and wet seasons
Common name
|
Relative abundance of species in the three habitat types
|
Riverine Forest
|
Woodland
|
Grassland
|
Dry
|
Wet
|
Dry
|
Wet
|
Dry
|
Wet
|
Anubis baboon
|
16.67
|
21.54
|
12.15
|
17.92
|
13.85
|
5.94
|
Vervet monkey
|
13.77
|
15.38
|
11.21
|
15.09
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
Colobus monkey
|
2.17
|
10.00
|
4.67
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
Common duiker
|
6.52
|
2.31
|
9.35
|
15.09
|
10.77
|
11.88
|
Bushbuck
|
3.62
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
4.72
|
0.00
|
5.94
|
Bushpig
|
7.25
|
7.69
|
0.00
|
0.94
|
1.54
|
5.94
|
Giant root-rat
|
2.90
|
1.54
|
9.35
|
9.43
|
24.62
|
13.86
|
Porcupine
|
12.32
|
18.46
|
13.08
|
0.00
|
9.23
|
19.80
|
Common jackal
|
5.80
|
7.69
|
8.41
|
11.32
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
Spotted hyena
|
18.84
|
10.77
|
15.89
|
5.66
|
12.31
|
12.87
|
African civet
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
1.87
|
9.43
|
7.69
|
0.00
|
Common genet
|
3.62
|
0.00
|
2.80
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
3.96
|
White-tailed mongoose
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
9.35
|
0.00
|
9.23
|
9.90
|
African wild cat
|
2.90
|
0.77
|
0.00
|
1.89
|
0.00
|
2.97
|
Serval Cat
|
1.45
|
0.00
|
1.87
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
2.97
|
Lion
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
3.08
|
3.96
|
Abyssinian hare
|
2.17
|
3.85
|
0.00
|
8.49
|
7.69
|
0.00
|
In this study, the highest species richness was recorded in the riverine forest habitat (N = 25), and the least was recorded in the grassland habitat (N = 22). The species richness in various habitats was 25, 23, and 22 for the riverine forest, woodland, and grassland, respectively. The total number of observations for mammalian species in the riverine forest was 268, woodland (N = 213), and grassland (N = 166).
Table 6
Individual observations counted and seasonal variation of medium and large-sized mammalian species among the three habitats
Common name
|
Species abundance in three habitat types
|
Riverine Forest
|
Woodland
|
Grassland
|
Dry
|
Wet
|
Dry
|
Wet
|
Dry
|
Wet
|
Anubis baboon
|
23
|
28
|
13
|
19
|
9
|
6
|
Vervet monkey
|
19
|
20
|
12
|
16
|
0
|
0
|
Colobus monkey
|
3
|
13
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Common duiker
|
9
|
3
|
10
|
16
|
7
|
12
|
Bushbuck
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
6
|
Bushpig
|
10
|
10
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
6
|
Giant root-rat
|
4
|
2
|
10
|
10
|
16
|
14
|
Porcupine
|
17
|
24
|
14
|
0
|
6
|
20
|
Common jackal
|
8
|
10
|
9
|
12
|
0
|
0
|
Spotted hyena
|
26
|
14
|
17
|
6
|
8
|
13
|
African civet
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
10
|
5
|
0
|
Common genet
|
5
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
White-tailed mongoose
|
0
|
0
|
10
|
0
|
6
|
10
|
African wild cat
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
Serval Cat
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
Lion
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
Abyssinian hare
|
3
|
5
|
0
|
9
|
5
|
0
|
Total
|
138
|
130
|
107
|
106
|
65
|
101
|
Habitat association and seasonal variation of mammalian species
The study revealed that there was no difference (χ2 = 0.52, df = 1, p > 0.05) in species composition and richness between the different habitats during both the dry and wet seasons in the study area. Habitat selection of the mammalian species varied seasonally in the study area. The riverine forest had the highest number of species (N = 14 and N = 11) followed by the woodland (N = 12 and N = 11), and the grassland habitat (N = 10 and N = 12) during the dry and wet seasons, respectively (Table 7).
The highest number of species (N = 14) was recorded in the riverine forest during the dry season, and the least was from the grassland (N = 10) species during the dry season. A total of 268 individuals mammals were recorded in riverine forest habitat, in which 138 individuals were, recorded during the dry season and 130of them during the wet season. Small numbers of individuals (N = 166) were recorded from the grassland habitat. Among the 166 individuals, 65 were recorded during the dry season, and the rest 101during the wet season. The seasonal abundance of mammals was significantly vary for the three habitats (χ2 = 0.52, df = 1, p > 0.05): riverine forest (χ2 = 0.36, df = 1, p > 0.05); woodland (χ2 = 0.52, df = 1, p > 0.05), and grassland with scattered tree (χ2 = 0.027, df = 1, p > 0.05).
Table 7
Species richness in different habitat types
Season
|
Habitats
|
Riverine Forest
|
Woodland
|
Grassland
|
Dry
|
14
|
12
|
10
|
Wet
|
11
|
11
|
12
|
Differences in species evenness, richness, and diversity between seasons on the stratified vegetation types were higher in the forest area. Application of the Shannon-Wiener information theory revealed that diversity index and evenness of the mammalian species in the different habitat types of the area were: 0.867 and 0.880 for (riverine forest habitat), 0.887 and 0.920 for (woodland habitat), 0.894 and 0.929 for (grassland habitat) respectively during the wet season (Table 8). While during the dry season, the diversity index and evenness of the mammalian species were 0.891 and 0.891 for the (riverine forest habitat), 0.902 and 0.936 for the (woodland habitat), and 0.877 and 0.922 for the (grassland habitat), respectively (Table 8).
Table 8
The diversity indices of the medium and large mammalian species in the three habitats of the study area during the dry and wet seasons
Habitat
|
Season
|
Number of species
|
Number of individuals
|
H
|
H max
|
Evenness
|
1-D
|
Riverine Forest
|
Dry
|
14
|
138
|
2.351
|
2.639
|
0.891
|
0.891
|
Wet
|
11
|
130
|
2.109
|
2.398
|
0.880
|
0.867
|
Woodland
|
Dry
|
12
|
107
|
2.325
|
2.485
|
0.936
|
0.902
|
Wet
|
11
|
106
|
2.206
|
2.398
|
0.920
|
0.887
|
Grassland
|
Dry
|
10
|
65
|
2.122
|
2.303
|
0.922
|
0.877
|
Wet
|
12
|
101
|
2.308
|
2.485
|
0.929
|
0.894
|