Effects of habitat fragmentation on the movement patterns and dispersal ability of the brown spiny rat (Maxomys rajah) in the Planted Forest Zone of Sarawak, Eastern Malaysia

Brown spiny rats (Maxomys rajah) were translocated from continuous secondary forest to small isolated patches of remnant native forest embedded within Acacia mangium plantation in the Planted Forest Zone of Sarawak, East Malaysia, and fitted with tracking spools to monitor behaviours in novel environments and to record responses to a range of habitat edge features. Forest roads, large clearings and acacia plantation compartments were found to pose barriers to dispersal of brown spiny rats over short temporal scales, whereas old regenerating haul trails were readily crossed on 50% of the encounters. Downed woody debris accounted for a greater proportion of the travel route compared with brown spiny rats tracked in secondary and primary forest in Sabah, which may represent heightened predator avoidance in new environments. Provision of downed woody debris within plantation compartments may improve the dispersal ability of brown spiny rats in this modified landscape, and thus promote metapopulation dynamics and colonisation of vacant habitat patches.