Nature read in tooth and fur: non-invasive sampling of the Pygmy Shrew (Sorex minutus Linnaeus, 1766) on Lundy for population genetics

Legall, Nathaniel, Kett, Stephen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0987-5001 and Timmermans, Martijn J. T. N. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5024-9053 (2016) Nature read in tooth and fur: non-invasive sampling of the Pygmy Shrew (Sorex minutus Linnaeus, 1766) on Lundy for population genetics. Journal of the Lundy Field Society, 5 . pp. 101-108. ISSN 1758-3276 [Article]

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Abstract

Britain’s smallest mammal, the pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus Linnaeus, 1766) is the only long established terrestrial mammal on Lundy. Little is known about this species’ mode of colonisation or its population structure on the island. Genetic analyses might provide useful insights in this respect, but DNA samples are difficult to obtain because pygmy shrews can be harmed by sampling methods. Two non invasive methods for obtaining DNA sequences were tested. DNA was extracted from hair samples and from a mandible derived from a bird-pellet. A 612 base pair fragment of the cytochrome oxidase b gene was PCR amplified and sequenced. To investigate the origin of pygmy shrew on Lundy the sequences were analysed in the context of published data. The sequences are most similar to those from the U.K. mainland which supports a British origin of this population.

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