Ecological index of rats in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Rat is one of the mammals commonly studied because of its role as a reservoir of various tropical diseases. This study aimed to determine the ecological index, including trap success rate, diversity (H'), similarity (E), and dominance(C) of rat species. The study was conducted in Bombana, Konawe, and Muna Regency, Southeast Sulawesi in 2016. Rats were caught using 100 live traps for three consecutive days in each location. Trapping was placed in two types of ecosystems, near and far from settlements, with three types of habitats (forest, plantation, and coastal). The results showed that the total number of rats caught was 339, consisting of 18 different species. The trap success rate in the near settlement was 32.33 and 24.17 in the far settlement. The H' indexes in near and far settlements were 1.127 and 1.944. The E index was 0.701 in far-settlement ecosystems and 0.490 in the near settlements. The dominance indexes in far and near settlement ecosystems were 0.211 and 0.510 respectively. The diversity of rats near and far from settlements was in the moderate category with moderate community stability. The individual rat was found to be evenly distributed in both ecosystems. The dominance of species in both ecosystems was found to be low, so no species dominated the ecosystem. This shows that the ecosystem in Southeast Sulawesi still supports the survival of the species. It is important to preserve the environment and maintain the balance of the ecosystem. © 2024 Author(s).