Small mammal community of bamboo forests in the Peruvian Amazon

Bamboo forests occupy an extensive area in Southwestern Amazonia in the conjuction of Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia. In Tambopata, Peru, bamboo stands have been considered degraded habitats and their expansion a threat to the biodiversity of the region. I conducted my project in two sites along the Tambopata River during a dry season in the area (July and September 2002). My study showed that communities of terrestrial small mammals in the bamboo patches were more diverse than those in adjacent old-growth forests. Relative abundances of some species of small mammals were also higher in the bamboo. Small mammal species may be attracted to the bamboo forests for the following reasons (1) dense understories that provides them refuge from predation, (2) alternative food resources in the form of insects, fruit from understorey plants, bamboo fruits and seeds (at exceptional times), and (3) complex understorey habitat that satisfies the microhabitat selection of species of small mammals.