MISSING RATS "SHOCKS"FOOD CHAIN

MICHAEL JACKSON SANG A HIT ON RATS

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MISSING RATS “SHOCKS”FOOD CHAIN

BY OLADUNNIN KOSOKO,

OWONIFARI ADEDAMOLA AND

 ABDULMUMINI ADEKU

The lack of rats in our ecological system has sent shock waves to the food chain.

Investigations by the News Office Desk of Paedia Express Multimedia in Lagos,Nigeria suggests that virtually all the rats in the city of Lagos and environs were either dead or on the verge of extinction due to the recent kill the rat campaign in the polity to avert the deadly Lassa Fever virus.

A source who spoke to this reporter explained that he had it been said by some local farmers  that the lack of rats in the environment has taken its toll on them as the rodents were actually  amajor part of their diets on a daily basis.

The source told this reporter that the farmers were not happy at the campaign against rats as the  animals provided them with a ready piece of meat rather than beef or pork which could eb expensive and not even available for them to eat.

The farmers according to the source pointed out that the Lassa Fever thing was blown out of proportion as they did not have issues with the animal at all as they did not see  them as threats.

The source added that the farmers usually throw  away any part of their food that had being contaminated by Rats defecates and urine and wondered why the hate campaign against the animal

In her own contributions,Mrs Nwafor Dinwawor lamented the pains the entire  nation had gone through in recent times due to the health implications of Lassa Fever.

In a related issue,Dr Daniel Banjo will not be drawn into arguments about which of Ebola Virus or Lassa Fever was more deadlier than the other but will quickly add that he strongly believes that Ebola Virus which was over hyped in his opinion was more contagious.

As at press time,Paedia Express Multimedia’s investigations shows that the viral strains of Lassa Fever were very virulent in at least 18 out of the 36 states in Nigeria with fears rife that this may even spread to other zones if not contained immediately.ith at least 2,000 species, rodents are the largest group of mammals in the world. These diverse creatures live on all major continents except Antarctica, as well as most islands. They adapt to life in most any habitat and can be found from swamps and tropical rainforests to deserts. Some spend all their time high in trees, while others live underground and seldom venture above the surface. Wherever they are found, people often treat them as pests and nuisances, but they play important roles in the ecosystems they inhabit.

Source of Food

Nearly every kind of animal preys on rodents to some extent, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, other mammals and even fish. Rodents also play host to a number of parasites such as mites and ticks, creatures people may find just as problematic as the rodents themselves. All over the world, people have hunted and killed various rodent species for food. In Africa, poachers kill larger rodent species for meat when larger game has been exhausted.

Seed Spreaders

Biologists have long known that tropical forest rodents play a key role in spurring growth of new trees in the forest by spreading seeds. At least one African rodent, the Kivu giant pouched rat, has an equal responsibility in encouraging plant growth by dispersing seeds. They scatter-hoard larger seeds, as well as build sizable caches of seeds for later consumption that are often not consumed. Where the seeds germinate, they grow into new vegetation. Similar rodent behavior occurs in North America, where seeds sprout from stores made by burrowing rodents such as kangaroo rats and pocket mice. These creatures cache seeds along with other organic matter for winter consumption.

Soil Aerators

Many rodents such as ground squirrels, pocket gophers and prairie dogs bury underground, digging extensive burrows and tunnels. These tunnels not only create habitat for many other underground species, they also provide important benefits for the soil. Digging tunnels turns over the soil, mixing the top layers of litter and feces with the deeper layers. This process fertilizes the soil and buries carbon, essential for plant growth. The tunnels allow water to flow deep into the soil rather than running off, and also carry oxygen through sediment layers, aerating the soil to encourage root growth.

Fungus Distributors

Plants in forests have mutually beneficial relationships with fungi in the soil. Fungi provide plants with nutrients, while the plants give fungi energy to grow and reproduce. The seeds of some plants, like orchids, won't even germinate and sprout without being attached to a fungus. Rodents such as red squirrels and voles harvest and store mushrooms, exposing the spores to the elements and encouraging their spread. Underground fungi rely almost entirely on rodents to disperse their spores and reproduce. When the rodents eat their mushrooms, they distribute the fungal spores in their scat, facilitating another generation of healthy forest.