The Chittagong story: studies on the ecology of rat floods and bamboo masting

• Main Authors: Belmain, S.R., Chakma, N., Sarker, N.J., Sarker, S.U., Sarker, S.K., Kamal, N.Q.
• Other Authors: Singleton, Grant R., Belmain, Steve R., Brown, Peter R., Hardy, Bill
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) 2010
• Subjects: S Agriculture (General); Rattus rattus
• Online Access: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/5833/; http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/5833/1/%28ITEM_4549%29_BELMAIN_Rodents_IRRI_9789712202575_content.pdf; http://irri.org/knowledge/publications/irri-books/rodent-outbreaks-ecology-and-impacts

Rodent population outbreaks due to the 50-year cycle of gregarious flowering and seed masting of Melocanna baccifera were first noted in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh during the crop production cycle of 2008. The wave of flowering has steadily moved southward through the region each year, with seed masting still occurring in some areas of the CHT during 2010. Because of a lack of surveillance, it is not yet known whether all Melocanna bamboo forests across the region have now initiated flowering. Ecological surveys carried out during the masting event have provided some preliminary evidence that nearly all rodent species are able to exploit Melocanna bamboo seeds as a food resource, with nearly 30% of the seed fallen in forests damaged by rodents. Breeding potential of the predominant species found, Rattus rattus, appears to confirm that aseasonal breeding occurs due to the abundant supply of bamboo seed during masting events. These preliminary results obtained from ongoing research surveys are discussed in the context of the management response to the regional famine triggered by the severe crop damage caused by rodent population outbreaks.