[ Reproduction et structure des populations des Sciuridae (Rodentia, Mammalia)
de la réserve forestière de Yoko (Ubundu, RD Congo) ]
Volume 23, Issue 2, May 2016, Pages 428–442
Pascal Baelo1, Justin A. Asimonyio2, Sylvestre Gambalemoke3, Nicaise Amundala4, Rogerdo Kiakenya5, Erik Verheyen6, Anne Laudisoit7, and Koto-te-Nyiwa Ngbolua8
1 Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité, Université de Kisangani, B.P. 2012 Kisangani, RD Congo
2 Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité, Université de Kisangani, RD Congo
3 Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité (CSB), Université de Kisangani, B.P. 2012 Kisangani, RD Congo
4 Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani, B.P. 2012 Kisangani, RD Congo
5 Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani, B.P. 2012 Kisangani, RD Congo
6 Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, rue Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
7 Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, rue Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
8 Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kinshasa, BP 190 Kinshasa XI, RD Congo
Original language: French
Copyright © 2016 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The study concerns the reproduction and structure of the populations of Sciuridae from the forest reserve of Yoko and has for objectives to identify the dominant species present in this reserve, to determine and to analyze the structure of the populations of squirrels and their reproduction phonology in order to estimate the stability of this group facing the local and global changes. The animals were harvested with the help of traditional traps from May 2014 to April 2015. From the six species captured, Funisciurus anerythrus was the most abundant, followed by the Funisciuruses bayonii, Funisciurus congicus, Paraxerus boehmi, Heliosciurus rufobrachium and Protoxerus stangeri. Their activities seem to achieve themselves in the fallows except the last two species that prefer the primary forest. The reproductive activities increase toward the middle of the rainy season (September-November) with a great proportion of the gravid females from December to February, which accompanies of a massive entry of the young during the active period from June to November. The sex-ratio is in favor of the males but the difference is not significative (p>0.05). The middle range is of two for Funisciurus anerythrus, and one for the other. The adults are abundant; the continuous presence of the young adult and juvenile reveals a continuous reproduction and the stability of the population.
Author Keywords: Squirrels, Biodiversity, Population dynamics, Yoko forest reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Volume 23, Issue 2, May 2016, Pages 428–442
Pascal Baelo1, Justin A. Asimonyio2, Sylvestre Gambalemoke3, Nicaise Amundala4, Rogerdo Kiakenya5, Erik Verheyen6, Anne Laudisoit7, and Koto-te-Nyiwa Ngbolua8
1 Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité, Université de Kisangani, B.P. 2012 Kisangani, RD Congo
2 Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité, Université de Kisangani, RD Congo
3 Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité (CSB), Université de Kisangani, B.P. 2012 Kisangani, RD Congo
4 Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani, B.P. 2012 Kisangani, RD Congo
5 Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani, B.P. 2012 Kisangani, RD Congo
6 Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, rue Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
7 Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, rue Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
8 Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kinshasa, BP 190 Kinshasa XI, RD Congo
Original language: French
Copyright © 2016 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The study concerns the reproduction and structure of the populations of Sciuridae from the forest reserve of Yoko and has for objectives to identify the dominant species present in this reserve, to determine and to analyze the structure of the populations of squirrels and their reproduction phonology in order to estimate the stability of this group facing the local and global changes. The animals were harvested with the help of traditional traps from May 2014 to April 2015. From the six species captured, Funisciurus anerythrus was the most abundant, followed by the Funisciuruses bayonii, Funisciurus congicus, Paraxerus boehmi, Heliosciurus rufobrachium and Protoxerus stangeri. Their activities seem to achieve themselves in the fallows except the last two species that prefer the primary forest. The reproductive activities increase toward the middle of the rainy season (September-November) with a great proportion of the gravid females from December to February, which accompanies of a massive entry of the young during the active period from June to November. The sex-ratio is in favor of the males but the difference is not significative (p>0.05). The middle range is of two for Funisciurus anerythrus, and one for the other. The adults are abundant; the continuous presence of the young adult and juvenile reveals a continuous reproduction and the stability of the population.
Author Keywords: Squirrels, Biodiversity, Population dynamics, Yoko forest reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Abstract: (french)
L’étude concerne la reproduction et structure des populations des Sciuridae de la Réserve Forestière de Yoko et a pour objectifs d’identifier les espèces dominantes présentes dans cette réserve, de déterminer et d’analyser la structure des populations d’écureuils et leur phénologie de reproduction afin d’estimer la stabilité de ce groupe face aux changements locaux et globaux. Les animaux ont été récoltés à l’aide des pièges traditionnels de mai 2014 à avril 2015. De six espèces capturées, Funisciurus anerythrus est la plus abondante, suivie des Funisciurus bayonii, Funisciurus congicus, Paraxerus boehmi, Heliosciurus rufobrachium et Protoxerus stangeri. Leur activité semble se réaliser dans les jachères sauf les deux dernières espèces qui préfèrent la forêt primaire. L’activité reproductrice s’accroît vers le milieu de la saison pluvieuse (septembre-novembre) avec une grande proportion des femelles gravides de décembre à février, qui s’accompagne d’une entrée massive des jeunes durant la période allant de juin à novembre. La sex-ratio est en faveur des mâles mais la différence n’est pas significative (p>0,05). La portée moyenne est de deux chez Funisciurus anerythrus, de un chez les autres. Les adultes sont abondants, la présence continue des subadultes et juvéniles traduit une reproduction continue et la stabilité de la population.
Author Keywords: Ecureuils, Biodiversité, Dynamique des populations, Réserve forestière de Yoko, République Démocratique du Congo.
How to Cite this Article
Pascal Baelo, Justin A. Asimonyio, Sylvestre Gambalemoke, Nicaise Amundala, Rogerdo Kiakenya, Erik Verheyen, Anne Laudisoit, and Koto-te-Nyiwa Ngbolua, “Reproduction and populations structure of the Sciuridae (rodentia, mammalia) of the forest reserve of Yoko (Ubundu city, DR Congo),” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 428–442, May 2016.
