The stadium effect: rodent damage patterns in rice fields explored using giving-up densities

Jones, CR; Lorica, RP; Villegas, JM; Ramal, AF; Horgan, FG; Singleton, GR; Stuart, AM

The stadium effect: rodent damage patterns in rice fields explored using giving-up densities

Jones, CR Lorica, RP Villegas, JM Ramal, AF Horgan, FG

Singleton, GR Stuart, AM

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Integrative Zoology, 2017, 12 (6), pp. 438 - 445
Issue Date:: 2017-11-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Jones, CR	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Lorica, RP	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Villegas, JM	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Ramal, AF	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Horgan, FG https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3796-667X	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Singleton, GR	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Stuart, AM	en_US
dc.date.available	2020-05-25T19:04:19Z
dc.date.issued	2017-11-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Integrative Zoology, 2017, 12 (6), pp. 438 - 445	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/115224
dc.description.abstract	© 2016 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd Rodents are globally important pre-harvest pests of rice. In Southeast Asia, rodent damage to growing rice crops is commonly concentrated towards the center of rice fields, away from the field edge, resulting in a clear pattern known as the “stadium effect.” To further understand this behavior of rodent pests and to develop recommendations for future research and management, we examined the relation between giving-up densities (GUDs) and damage patterns. In Tanay, Luzon, Philippines, GUD trays containing pieces of coconut in a matrix of sand were placed at 4 different distances from the field edge to quantify the perceived risk of predation in a rice field pest, Rattus tanezumi. GUDs were recorded during a dry and wet season crop at the reproductive and ripening stages of rice. In addition, assessments of active burrows, tracking tile activity and rodent damage to the rice crop, were conducted in the dry season. GUDs were significantly lower in the center of the rice fields than on the field edges, suggesting that rodent damage to rice is greater in the middle of rice fields due to a lower perceived predation risk. Furthermore, this perception of predation risk (or fear) increases towards the field edge and was greatest on the rice bund, where there was no vegetation cover. We discuss the implications for rodent management and rodent damage assessments in rice fields. This is the first documented use of GUDs in a rice agro-ecosystem in Asia; thus we identify the challenges and lessons learned through this process.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Integrative Zoology	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1111/1749-4877.12251	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Animals	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Rodentia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Behavior, Animal	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Population Density	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Pest Control	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Agriculture	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Oryza	en_US
dc.title	The stadium effect: rodent damage patterns in rice fields explored using giving-up densities	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	6	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	12	en_US
utslib.for	0608 Zoology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	6	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	12	en_US

Abstract:

© 2016 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd Rodents are globally important pre-harvest pests of rice. In Southeast Asia, rodent damage to growing rice crops is commonly concentrated towards the center of rice fields, away from the field edge, resulting in a clear pattern known as the “stadium effect.” To further understand this behavior of rodent pests and to develop recommendations for future research and management, we examined the relation between giving-up densities (GUDs) and damage patterns. In Tanay, Luzon, Philippines, GUD trays containing pieces of coconut in a matrix of sand were placed at 4 different distances from the field edge to quantify the perceived risk of predation in a rice field pest, Rattus tanezumi. GUDs were recorded during a dry and wet season crop at the reproductive and ripening stages of rice. In addition, assessments of active burrows, tracking tile activity and rodent damage to the rice crop, were conducted in the dry season. GUDs were significantly lower in the center of the rice fields than on the field edges, suggesting that rodent damage to rice is greater in the middle of rice fields due to a lower perceived predation risk. Furthermore, this perception of predation risk (or fear) increases towards the field edge and was greatest on the rice bund, where there was no vegetation cover. We discuss the implications for rodent management and rodent damage assessments in rice fields. This is the first documented use of GUDs in a rice agro-ecosystem in Asia; thus we identify the challenges and lessons learned through this process.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/115224