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"SHREW TALK" - Vol. 1, No. 11- 26 July 1997
SHREW TALK - 26 July 1997 - Vol. 1, No. 11
Number of Recipients: >220
Contents of this Issue
o Editorial
o Research
1. Live trapping and control intervals
2. Re: Live trapping and control intervals
3. Trapping and The Animal Care Commitee
4. A study on shrews in Quebec
5. Population Genetics Club
6. 'Green corridors' in northern France
o Shrew Bibliography: New Papers
1. A list of publications by Manuel Ruedi & colleagues
o What's New on the Shrew (ist's) Site
o Shrew Talk Instructions
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o EDITORIAL
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Dear Shrew-Fessionals and Shrew-Mateurs,
In addition to some trapping facts this issue includes another list of publications from the cytogeneticists. Thank you to Dr. Manuel Ruedi from Lausanne. A letter from France is a call for some simple arguments that would convince the public of the necessity to preserve certain small mammals. The 'ecological significance' of an animal tends to want to be understood as the 'economical value' of the same, when it comes to raise funds for biodiversity projects.
Your's shrewly, Werner Haberl
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o RESEARCH
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1) Live trapping and control intervals
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 11:26:44 -0500
From: Renée Bergeron <renee.bergeron@san.ulaval.ca>
Subject: Traps for shrews
As you noticed, I am not at all familiar with shrews and trapping! I am a ethologist... But as a member of the Animal Care Committee, I do care about shrews. I forgot to specify in my request that the shrews could be captured dead or alive. Ideally, the death would have to be quick and humane. The researcher in question was filling the traps with water to accelerate the death of the animals. The problem is that we are not convinced that death by drowning is acceptable. We were hoping that he could capture them alive. But last time I talked to him, he mentioned that it was impossible for his team to visit the traps more than once or twice a day. My understanding is that even if we provide them with food and don't fill the trap with water, they are likely to die anyway... Drowning, exhaustion and/or cannibalism. If this is really the case, could they use some sort of snap trap that kills instantly?
Thanks in advance for your advice,
Renée Bergeron Département des sciences animales, Université Laval
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2) Re: Live trapping and control intervals
A reply to R. Bergeron
If you want to catch the shrews alive, but cannot visit traps more than twice a day...
Depending on the aim of your study, you might try prebaiting the traps, ie. baiting them, but leaving them 'unset' for 1-3 days. You will see which traps are likely to be successful. Then set them and (if controlling at 90 min. intervals is not possible) control them every two to four hours (make it less for those traps that have obviously been frequented during the prebaiting period) and provide the traps with dry bedding (eg cotton wool) and some food (eg larvae of Tenebrio molitor). If you start at 4 a.m., visit traps again between 6 - 8 and 10-12. Then 'unset' them again until the next day or conduct additional trapping starting from dusk. Experience will show you what intervals are best. Of course, this procedure is dependent on the aim of your study and will be of no use if you are investigating activity rhythms.
Another method would involve some modifications of conventional live traps: I called it 'shrew excluders'. The idea is to drill a hole in the traps that is large enough for shrews to escape, but too small for rodents to pass. Rodents, such as field mice or wood mice can endure longer periods in traps. Keeping these 'escape-holes' open during periods in which regular checks are not possible, would reduce shrew mortality without interfering with rodent trapping success... Signs, such as faeces inside traps, would still tell you that these traps have been visited by shrews.
Snap traps (museum type) are the most common in use to kill the animals quickly, although in some studies they have been shown to be less successful than certain live traps. However, still being a means of killing animals, this should be the 'better' alternative to trapping with water-filled pitfalls. As I once replied to somebody else: I would rather have my neck broken quickly than drown... Of course this is a anthropomorphic point of view and it is probably up to each researcher and the official commitees to find an ethical justification for his actions.
In case you have a shrew that is on the verge of dying, it is sometimes possible to 'revive' it by feeding a glucose-solution as described by Crowcroft. I also had success with this and it is at least worth a try to save the animal.
Werner Haberl - shrewbib@sorex.vienna.at _______________________________________________________________________
3) Trapping and The Animal Care Commitee
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 12:34:28 -0500
From: Renée Bergeron <renee.bergeron@san.ulaval.ca>
Subject: Pitfall traps
Your comments have been very useful to our Animal Care Committee. We approved the use of "dry" pitfall traps with provision of food (meal worms). We also suggested to the researcher more frequent visits to the traps and the use of snap traps if or when possible. I believe that he will then compare the efficiency of both methods.
Regards, Renée Bergeron
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Renée Bergeron
Département des sciences animales
Université Laval Ste-Foy, Quebec, Canada, G1K 7P4
Tel: (418) 656-2131 poste (ext)5950 Fax: (418) 656-3766
E-mail: renee.bergeron@san.ulaval.ca
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4) A study on shrews in Quebec
From: "Crête, Michel" <michel.crete@inetsrv1.mef.gouv.qc.ca>
Subject: A study on shrews in Quebec
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 14:07:35 -0400
Dear Dr. Haberl,
Dr. Bergeron indicated that you were curious to know why she was looking for informations on methods for capturing shrews. I am pleased to brievly describe the research work for which we asked a permit to Dr. Bergeron's Comittee.
We are studying coyote (a 10-15 kg canid) ecology in northeastern North America, where this species expanded its range during the last decades. We are comparing coyotes living in large tracks on continuous forest with animals whose territories are situated in a mixed agricultural/forest landscape. Agriculture is declining there and forests are still dominating the landscape. In summer, forest coyotes are in poorer condition than rural coyotes and a high consumption of wildberries characterize their food. We are currently testing the hypothesis that forest-dwelling coyotes are in poorer condition than rural coyotes because their food base is lower there. The main preys of coyotes being small mammals, we try to estimate the biomass of voles, mice and shrews in the 2 landscape. We try to estimate shrew density by removal, and we were planning to use pitfall with water to capture shrews. But we changed our method according to your comments to Dr. Bergeron. Please note that I will be on vacation for the next 3 weeks so that there will be a long delay if you need additionnal information.
thank you for you help
Michel Crête michel.crete@mef.gouv.qc.ca _______________________________________________________________________
5) Population Genetics Club
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 97 11:20:00 +0300
From: ari@freemail.gr (Aristotelis Papageorgiou)
Subject: PGC
If you are interested in Population, Evolution and Conservation Genetics visit the new Population Genetics Club. There are many services for visitors and members, all of them FREE. Find relevant Journals, Institutions, Bibliography, Databases and read the announcements conserning Jobs, Fellowships, Courses and Conferences. You can also join a mailing list and receive the PGC Newsletter regularely.
URL: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/6572/pgchome.html
Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou
Postmaster of the Population Genetics Club
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/6572/pgchome.html
World Wide Fund for Nature WWF - Greece
26 Filellinon Street, GR-10558 Athens Greece
Tel: +30 1 3314893 Fax: +30 1 3347578
Email: ari@freemail.gr _______________________________________________________________________
6) 'Green corridors' in northern France
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 12:40:55 +0200
From: Direction Environnement Energie Dechets <deed@cr-npdc.fr>
Organization: Conseil Regional Nord-Pas de Calais
I live in northern France and this region is putting on 'green corridors' in order to restore biodiversity. These corridors proceede by mending the area from one ecological site to another. At last, the region has to be a net of natural biotopes.
My work is to help people understanding why protecting small mammals. To do it, I'm looking for examples showing the utility of such animals and how they contribute to ecosystems.
I know that small mammals are helpful in airing the ground, diseminating seeds, or in regulating populations. I would like to have more details about these examples and other ones.
Thank you.
Bruno Devulder
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o SHREW BIBLIOGRAPHY: New Papers
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ÒThe Shrew BibliographyÓ is a collection of more than 6000 references to research on the biology of the Soricidae (Insectivora, Mammalia) and small mammal ecology. More info: http://members.vienna.at/shrew/shrewbib.html
To announce your new research papers/books, please follow the instructions (separate fields with the character "#"): Author(s)#Year#Title#Journal&Page No.#Abstract#Keywords#Address *I* would appreciate receiving a reprint of your paper and/or a list of your publications to add to the bibliography.
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NEW PAPERS/BOOKS:
1) A list of publications by Manuel Ruedi & colleagues
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 13:53:22 +0100
From: Manuel Ruedi <manuel.ruedi@izea.unil.ch>
Dear Colleague,
I have been working on the zoogeography and speciation of Crocidurine shrews since 1988. I used mainly multivariate morphometrics, karyotypes and protein electrophosesis to investigate systematics of Asian shrews. I am now switching on more powerfull techniques such as mtDNA sequencing to address similar questions in shrews and bats. Here are some of my papers dealing with insectivores:
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Ruedi, M., T. Maddalena, H.S. Yong & P. Vogel. 1990. The Crocidura fuliginosa species complex (Mammalia: Insectivora) in Peninsular Malaysia: Biological, karyological and genetical evidencies. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 18: 573-581.
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Ruedi, M., T. Maddalena, P. Vogel & Y. Obara. 1993. Systematic and biogeographic relationships of the Japanese white-toothed shrew (Crocidura dsinezumi). Journal of Mammalogy, 74 (3): 535-543.
Heaney, L.R. & M. Ruedi . 1994. A preliminary analysis of biogeography and phylogeny of Crocidura from the Philippines. In: Biology of the Soricidae, Meritt, Kirkland &Rose (eds), Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication , 18: 357-377.
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Maddalena, T. & M. Ruedi . 1994. Chromosomal evolution in the genus Crocidura (Soricidae, Insectivora). In: Biology of the Soricidae, Meritt, Kirkland &Rose (eds), Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication , 18: 335-344.
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Ruedi, M. 1994. Zoogéographie et Taxonomie des Crocidurinés d'Asie du Sud-Est (Insectivora, Mammalia). PhD dissertation IZEA, UNIL.
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Ruedi, M., M. Chapuisat & D. Iskandar. 1994. Taxonomic status of Hylomys parvus and H. suillus: biochemical and morphological approach (Insectivora: Erinaceidae). Journal of Mammalogy, 75 (4): 965-978.
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Ruedi, M. & P. Vogel. 1995. Chromosomal evolution and zoogeographic origin of Southeast Asian shrews (genus Crocidura). Experientia, 51: 174-178.
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Ruedi, M. 1995. Taxonomic revision of shrews of the genus Crocidura from the Sunda Shelf and Sulawesi with description of two new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 115: 211-265.
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Genoud, M. & M. Ruedi. 1996. Rate metabolism, temperature regulation and evaporative water loss in the lesser gymnure Hylomys suillus (Insectivora, Mammalia). Journal of Zoology (London), 240: 309-316.
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Ruedi, M. 1996. Phylogenetic evolution and biogeography of Southeast Asian shrews (genus Crocidura : Soricidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 58: 197-219.
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Ruedi, M., C. Courvoisier, P. Vogel, & F.M. Catzeflis. 1996. Genetic differentiation and zoogeography of Asian Suncus murinus (Mammalia: Soriciade). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 57: 307-316.
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Arlettaz, R., M. Ruedi, C. Ibañes, J. Palmeirim, & J. Hausser. In press. A new perspective on the zoogeography of the sibling mouse-eared bat species Myotis myotis and Myotis blythii: morphological, genetical and ecological evidence. Journal of Zoology (London).
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Jenkins, P., M. Ruedi & F.C. Catzeflis. In press. A biochemical and morphological investigation of Suncus dayi (Dobson, 1888) and discussion of relationships in Suncus, Crocidura, and Sylvisorex (Insectivora: Soricidae). Bonner zoologische Beiträge.
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Ruedi, M., & L. Fumagalli. In press. Genetic structure of gymnures (genus Hylomys; Erinaceidae) on continental islands of Southeast Asia: historical effects of fragmentation. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research.
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Ruedi, M. In press. Protein evolution in shrews. In: Wojcik, J.M. & Woslan, M. The Evolution of Shrews.
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Many thanks for your initiative to maintain this data base on shrews.
Sincerely Manuel
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o WHAT'S NEW ON THE SHREW (ist's) SITE?
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http://members.vienna.at/shrew
o Last Update: 22 July 1997
o Number of Visitors (Date: 26 July 1997): >3597
o Number of "Shrewists on E-mail": >151
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o SHREW TALK INSTRUCTIONS
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TO POST TO THE GROUP
All replies to the Shrew Talk inquiries should be posted to the group. However, if you prefer to reply to someone personally, *I* would appreciate receiving a copy of the mail (Cc or Bcc) and/or a summary of the "outcome".
Reply to shrewbib@sorex.vienna.at - include the words "Shrew Talk" in the subject line.
SHREW TALK is archived and back issues can be read at: http://members.vienna.at/shrew/shrewtalk.html
If you would like mail to go to Werner Haberl rather than to the group, DO NOT include the words "Shrew Talk" in the subject line and/or please indicate in the body of the letter that it is personal.
To be removed from the list, write to the same address and ask to be removed. ***********************************************************************
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Dr. Werner Haberl Editor, SHREW TALK (http://members.vienna.at/shrew/shrewtalk.html) Hamburgerstr. 11, A-1050 Vienna, Austria
Email: shrewbib@sorex.vienna.at URL: http://members.vienna.at/shrew (The Shrew (ist's) Site)
The Shrew Bibliography (> 6000 references) (available on CD ROM) ==================================================================
This web site was created by
Dr. Werner Haberl. Address: Hamburgerstrasse 11, A-1050 Vienna, Austria.
E-mail: shrewbib@sorex.vienna.at
URL: http://members.vienna.at/shrew