Open AccessMONITORING PROPOSAL OF THE EURASIAN WATER SHREW (NEOMYS FODIENS, PENNANT, 1771) IN POLAND
Author(s) -
Michalina GMAJ,
AUTHOR_ID
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
folia pomeranae universitatis technologiae stetinensis. agricultura, alimentaria, piscaria et zootechnica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2081-1284
pISSN - 2300-5378
DOI - 10.21005/aapz2021.60.4.01
Subject(s) - shrew , habitat , shore , abundance (ecology) , population , ecology , geography , range (aeronautics) , habitat destruction , biology , fishery , demography , materials science , sociology , composite material
The paper presents a proposal of methods for monitoring the Eurasian water shrew Neomys fodiens, belonging to the family Soricidae. This species has a wide range in Poland, although it has never been the subject of a nationwide survey. Water shrew has a sporadic and localised occurrence and little is known about its habitat requirements and population dynamics. Although there is no documented proof of population decline, there is concern that the species may be vulnerable to declines in abundance and occurrence as a result of habitat loss and pollution as it is closely associated with aquatic environment. The proposed method of population status assessment is based on estimating the number of specimen observed at selected monitoring sites by the capture-mark-recapture (CMR) method and an additional method of analysing owl pellets to establish the presence and abundance of the species in the area. Moreover, indicators assessing the condition of the habitat, such as presence of preferred water bodies, share of shoreline vegetation, slope of the shore and availability of shelters have been proposed. Regular monitoring can contribute to the recognition of potential changes in water shrew’s population dynamics.