Study on Some Features of the Rodent Population of Dongling Mountain in Beijing

Objective: To study some feature of the rodent population in Dongling Mountain,Western Beijing.Methods:7 species of rodents, 568 individuals were captured by snap-traps in three different ecological habitats in the region from June 1998 to May 1999.Results:The structure of rodent communities were simple, the dominant species were quite outstanding. There were 5 species in the forest habitat and capture rate was 4.06%, of which, Apodemus peninsulae, Clethrionomys rufocanus and A. agrarius were the dominant species. Five species in the shrubs habitat, the capture rate was 5.19%, and A.agrarius, C. rufocanus and A. peninsulae were the dominant species. Six species in farmland habitat, the capture rate was 6.53%, and A. agrarius, Mus musculus and Cricetulus triton were the dominant species. This paper dealt with some population parameters, included biomass, age structure, relative fatness, reproductive index, sex ratio, and breeding length of 7 rodent species in different habitats. Conclusion: The population of A.agrarius may increases.