Keywords
Rodent
Spatial distribution pattern
Risk analysis
Submitted : 2026-03-16
Accepted : 2026-03-31
Published : 2026-04-15
Abstract
As an important production area of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) in southern China, Guangxi is severely threatened by rodent damage in artificial Chinese fir forests. It is urgent to clarify the spatial pattern and risk level of rodent damage to support scientific prevention and control. This study took young artificial Chinese fir forests as the research area to explore the spatial distribution pattern of rodent damage and evaluate the rodent risk levels. Damaged trees were manually identified based on UAV orthophotos, spatial pattern analysis was conducted using ArcGIS, and a multi-index comprehensive evaluation method was adopted to analyze the risk of rodents. The results showed that: (1) The rodent-damaged Chinese fir plants in the research area presented a significant aggregated spatial distribution pattern (R=0.553); (2) Risk assessment classified Mus musculus (house mouse), Rattus norvegicus (brown rat), and Microtus fortis (reed vole) as medium-risk species, and Rattus losea (rice field rat), Rattus tanezumi (roof rat), Callosciurus erythraeus (Pallas’s squirrel), and Rhizomys sinensis (Chinese bamboo rat) as low-risk species. In conclusion, management countermeasures are proposed by combining the spatial distribution pattern and risk levels, which provide a scientific basis for the precise prevention and control and sustainable management of rodent damage in Chinese fir forests in Guangxi.
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