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Diet of shrews (Soricidae) in urban environment (Nitra, Slovakia)

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Abstract

To understand the food demand of shrews, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study of their environment. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to discover the food composition of shrew and basic differences between three urban environments within Nitra (pericentral, peripheral and suburban). The research included continuous trapping of shrews in Nitra’s urban environments between 2013 and 2015. In total, 70 shrew specimens from four species were analysed: Crocidura suaveolens (43ex.), Crocidura leucodon (5ex.), Sorex araneus (19ex.) and Sorex minutus (3ex.). Overall, it was feasible to identify food components in 78.6% of samples taken from the gastrointestinal tracts of the trapped shrews, with the remaining samples (21.4%) having been completely digested. The Diptera larvae (family Bibionidae and Stratiomyidae), Coleoptera (most frequently occurring in Staphylinidae and Curculionidae families) were discovered to have been the dominant components in the shrews’ food demand. The research also showed a high abundance of Chilopoda (Lithobidae) and Diplopoda (Julidae) in the gastrointestinal tract content as well as significant similarity with respect to food preferences between Sorex araneus, Crocidura suaveolens and to a limited extent also Crocidura leucodon. However, there was confirmation of changes in the food spectrum of shrew species over annual periods, too.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a Grant from VEGA Project No. 1/0608/16. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. We also thank Richard Budd for revising the English grammar and syntax.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 74, Nitra, Slovakia

    Kamenišťák Jakub, Tulis Filip, Michal Ševčík & Baláž Ivan

  2. Biomedical Research Center SAV, Dúbravská Cesta 9, 848 05, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Klimant Peter

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  1. Kamenišťák Jakub
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Correspondence to Kamenišťák Jakub.

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Jakub, K., Peter, K., Filip, T. et al. Diet of shrews (Soricidae) in urban environment (Nitra, Slovakia). Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 28, 559–567 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-017-0631-1

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