The effect of pre-harvest fire on the small mammal assemblage in sugarcane fields

• Small rodents were more abundant in plots with pre-harvest fires.
• Long-term suspension of fire can result on an increase in small rodents’ abundance.
• Agricultural practices affect the abundance of native small rodents in sugarcane fields.

From February 2009 to February 2010 the small mammal assemblage in sugarcane fields from Usina Santa Elisa Vale, in Sertãozinho, northern São Paulo state (Brazil), with four different time spans of pre-harvest burning suspension (0, 3, 5 and 10 years) was surveyed. Six species of rodents and one species of marsupial were captured, in a total of 399 individuals, with a total capture success of 7.7%. Species richness was similar in all treatments; however, the marsupial Gracilinanus agilis was only detected in sugarcane plots where pre-harvest burning has been suspended for 10 years. In addition, small rodents were more abundant in plots where pre-harvest burning was still used every year, followed by areas where fire events were suppressed for 10 years. Considering that high densities of small rodents are usually associated with the spread of infectious diseases (e.g., hantaviroses and leptospirosis) and also with the possible use of highly polluting agrochemicals (i.e., rodenticides), a decrease in small rodents abundance can be considered another positive environmental impact of pre-harvest burning suspension of sugarcane fields.