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Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (25): 126-133.doi: 10.11924/j.issn.1000-6850.casb2024-0803

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Population Change Law and Forecast of Dominant Rodent Species Apodemus agrarius in Farmland Area

QIN Zhiyong(), BAI Zhijiang, YANG Zaixue()   

  1. Yuqing Plant Protection Station, Yuqing, Guizhou 564400
  • Received:2024-12-31 Revised:2025-04-28 Online:2025-09-05 Published:2025-09-16

Abstract:

In order to further understand the population change law of Apodemus agrarius, the dominant rodent species, in the farmland area in Yuqing County, Guizhou Province, and provide scientific basis for its population prediction and scientific prevention and control, the monitoring data of A. agrarius, in farmland area of Yuqing County from 2006 to 2024 were analyzed. During the study period, A. agrarius accounted for 81.54% of the total rodents captured in farmland, which was the dominant species of rodents in local farmland, with an average capture rate of 4.24% for many years. In a year, the population number peaked twice in June-July and October-November, and the average catch rates were 5.42%, 4.65%, 4.33% and 4.88% respectively. There are extremely significant differences in population numbers in different years, the difference in different months was significant, and the difference in different seasons was not significant. A prediction model (I1) for the average capture rate of A. agrarius in February and March, and population in June was established: Y=2.4687+0.7667X, which can predict the population of A. agrarius in June three months in advance, and the average coincidence rate of the capture rate was 90.55% after back testing. A forecasting model (I2) for the average capture rate of A. agrarius in July, and November population was established: Y=2.3404+0.5471X, which can forecast the population in November four months in advance. The average coincidence rate of the capture rate was 89.53% after back-testing. In this study, the population composition of A. agrarius in farmland and the change law of population quantity were found out, and it was clear that spring and autumn were the peak seasons of A. agrarius population in farmland, and A. agrarius was still the main local target. The prediction model of population quantity peak was established, and the prediction results were accurate, easy to operate and master, which could be used to guide the prediction and prevention of A. agrarius population at the grass-roots level.

Key words: Apodemus agrarius, population composition, population size, law of change, forecast model, Yuqing County