HABITAT USE OF SMALL TERRESTRIAL RODENTS IN THE COSTA-RICAN HIGHLANDS

Small terrestrial rodents were studied in five habitats in the highlands of the Talamanca Mountain Range, Costa Rica. Species diversity, richness, and number of individuals increased from primary forest to non-forested habitats. Peromyscus nudipes was primarily a forest species and along with Scotinomys xerampelinus was found in all habitats sampled. Reithrodontomys creper was almost exclusively present in old fields and R. sumichrasti around buildings and in the cattle pasture. Rodent populations increased with the beginning of the rainy season, but the degree of fluctuation differed among species and habitats.