Data from: Assessing the distribution of disease-bearing rodents in human-modified tropical landscapes

1. We tested how habitat structure and fragmentation affect the spatial distribution of common murine rodents inhabiting human-dominated landscapes in southeast Asia. The spatial distribution patterns observed for each rodent species were then used to assess how changes in habitat structure may potentially affect the risk of several major rodent-borne diseases. 2. For this analysis, we used an extensive geo-referenced database containing details of rodents trapped from seven sites in Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR. We also developed land cover layers for each site. Results from published studies that screened for five major rodent-borne pathogens in rodents were used to estimate how these pathogens would likely be impacted by these alterations in habitat structure and composition. 3. Our results confirmed the specialist and/or synanthropic status of several rodent species, although the majority of species studied demonstrated some degree of low level of habitat specialization. 4. Habitat diversity and its alteration (decreasing forest cover, increasing fragmentation, increasing urbanisation) were found to favour the presence of synanthropic rodent species such as Rattus tanezumi, known to damage crops and host important rodent-borne diseases. 5. Synthesis and applications. The five major rodent-borne pathogens were linked to ongoing changes in habitat structure. In particular the presence of Bartonella spp. and hantaviruses seemed to be favoured in wooded landscapes affected by ongoing fragmentation and human encroachments. Rodents also pose significant problems for crop production in southeast Asia. Our results showed that the structure of the landscape affects the likely presence of rodent species considered as agricultural pests. The patchy structure of a landscape can either enhance, such as B. indica, or decrease, such as B. savilei, the presence of rodents that may cause serious damage to crops.1. 本研究探究了栖息地结构与破碎化对东南亚人类主导景观内常见啮齿类动物空间分布的影响。随后，基于各啮齿类物种的空间分布格局，评估栖息地结构变化对数种主要啮齿动物传播疾病传播风险的潜在影响。 2. 本次分析采用了覆盖泰国、柬埔寨及老挝人民民主共和国（Lao PDR）7个采样点的大型地理参考数据库，该数据库收录了上述点位捕获啮齿类动物的详细信息。研究团队同时为各采样点构建了土地覆盖图层。此外，本研究整合已发表研究中针对啮齿类动物体内5种主要啮齿动物传播病原体的筛查数据，以此估算栖息地结构与组成变化对这些病原体流行态势的潜在影响。 3. 研究结果证实了部分啮齿类物种的特化或伴人生（synanthropic）生态位特征，尽管本研究所涉多数物种仅表现出轻度的栖息地特化倾向。 4. 研究发现，栖息地多样性及其变化（森林覆盖率下降、破碎化程度加剧、城市化水平提升）有利于伴人生啮齿类物种的存续，其中以黄胸鼠（Rattus tanezumi）为代表，该物种不仅会造成作物损害，还是多种重要啮齿动物传播疾病的宿主。 5. 综合与应用。本研究明确了5种主要啮齿动物传播病原体与栖息地结构持续变化之间的关联。其中，巴尔通体属（Bartonella spp.）与汉坦病毒（hantaviruses）的流行似乎更易受持续破碎化及人类活动侵占的林地景观所青睐。啮齿类动物同时也给东南亚地区的作物生产带来了严重危害。本研究结果表明，景观结构会影响被视为农业害虫的啮齿类物种的分布。景观的斑块状结构既可能促进某些啮齿类物种的存活（如B. indica），也可能抑制另一些物种的存活（如B. savilei），而这些物种均可能对作物造成严重损害。