Effect of Habitat change through infrastructural development on small mammal diversity and abundance on the legon campus of the university of Ghana

The study investigated the effect of real estate development on small mammal diversity and abundance in order to inform town planners during their decision-making process. Small mammals were used because they are relatively easy to survey and serve as bio-indicators that provide knowledge on the state of health of the habitat in which they inhabit. The University of Ghana Campus, Legon (UGCL) was divided into two sites: built-up area and the botanical garden, which is less developed. The small mammals were live-trapped using Sherman traps in May 2009 for seven nights by means of transect in the two study sites, using a mixture of peanut butter and corn meal as the preferred bait. The 350 trap-nights yielded 68 captures of five species of small mammals. They were (i) Pygmy mouse (Mus musculoides), (ii) Unstriped grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus), (iii) Tullberg’s soft-furred rat (Praomys tullbergi), (iv) African giant shrew (Crocidura olivieri) and (v) White-bellied hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris). Small mammal diversity and abundance were similar between the two sites. This may be due to the comparatively large size and the presence of green areas in the built-up area. The preference of C. olivieri for human-interfered habitats may be used to monitor further habitat modification through real estate development in UGCL.