City Rats Are More Loyal
Written by WTJ on May 27, 2009 – 6:53 am -
Scientists from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health studied the genetics of common city rodents, namely Wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), also known as wharf rats, sewer rats or brown rats, to understand the population structure of this species. Wild Norway rats usually weight about two pounds. A variety of diseases can be transmitted to humans through these rats.
Although city rats are spotted around the city, its population does not spread widely. Scientists have studied nearly 300 rats from 11 locations within Baltimore, Maryland. The genetic of the rats were studied to understand the gene flow of the rats between areas within the city. The rats are found to be homely rats, as they do not travel more than a city block and are close to home. They only travel to other areas unless threaten by any dangers, and these rodents will travel as far as 7 miles for repopulation.
The paper is published in recent issue of Molecular Ecology. Such studies help to understand the population structure of rodents and may provide a better pest species control solution.
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Tags: Baltimore, brown rats, genetic, habitat fragmentation, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Maryland, Molecular Ecology, pest, population genetics, population structure, rats, Rattus norvegicus, rodents, sewer rats, urban wildlife, wharf rats, Wild Norway rats, zoonotic diseases | No Comments »
