Rodents are the most populous and widespread vertebrate pest of agriculture. It is a major cause of crop losses in fields and storage grains resulting in huge economic losses annually. Despite its huge economic importance, little is known about the pest in terms of its habitat, feeding habits, reproduction patterns and population dynamics. Due to the lack of proper knowledge, rodents are one of the most difficult pests to control in the agro-ecosystems. The management practices that exist are mostly chemo-centric and are often unreliable in controlling the populations. Hence, to develop efficient management strategies, it is important to gain a better insight into the ecology of rodents, both feeding and reproductive. This paper attempts to discuss the feeding and reproductive ecology of rodents, specifically but not limited to the agro-ecosystem.
Feeding ecology, Pest management, Reproductive ecology, Rodents, Vertebrate pest