The communities of terrestrial small mammals (Insectivora, Rodentia) of the Nebrodi Mountains (north‐eastern Sicily)

Cagnin, Mara; Grasso, Rosario Francesco

doi:10.1080/11250009909356279

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…see the damage by M. s. nebrodensis to orchards in Sicily, as well as damage by M. s. brachycercus in Calabria). 22 Given Savi's pine vole's widespread distribution in Italy and its opportunistic habitat preferences, 8,23 it can be stated that the species can flexibly adapt to cultivated areas. It is not a species of conservation concern, being listed as LC (least concern) in the IUCN Italian Red List.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Savi's pine vole occurs in fallow fields, banks of ditches and canals, ecotonal areas, cereals, forage crops and orchards . Only occasionally is it found in forests …”

Section: Savi's Pine Volementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Savi's pine vole also occurs in urban areas, but it avoids too hard, dry and rocky soil, preferring deep, moist and well‐drained soil . However, it may also inhabit sandy soils, peat, clay and soils subject to water logging .…”

Section: Savi's Pine Volementioning

confidence: 99%

“…22 -24 Only occasionally is it found in forests. 23 Canova 25 reported the presence of Savi's pine vole in reed beds, hedgerows and poplar plantations. In Sicily, the species is found mainly in open hills and plains, steppes, meadows, pastures and cereal crops.…”

Section: Distribution and Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…20 Savi's pine vole also occurs in urban areas, but it avoids too hard, 8 dry and rocky soil, preferring deep, moist and well-drained soil. 23,26,27 However, it may also inhabit sandy soils, peat, clay and soils subject to water logging. 22 Savi's pine vole has a polyphasic daily activity rhythm, alternating short rest and activity periods during both day and night.…”

Section: Distribution and Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From biology to management of Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii)

Ranchelli

Barfknecht

Capizzi³

et al. 2016

Pest Management Science

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Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii) is a rodent species of the Cricetidae family, inhabiting southern European agroecosystems. It is considered to be the main cause of rodent-attributed damage in Italy. To achieve an effective management, detailed knowledge of this species is needed. However, the available information about this species is fragmentary and incomplete. In this paper, the existing knowledge of Savi's pine vole taxonomy, reproduction, population dynamics, habitat and food preferences is reviewed in order to organise available information and identify priority areas of future research. Some of the changes in farming practices that have occurred in recent decades may have increased the impact of Savi's pine vole populations in crop fields. To manage this pest species effectively, an integrated strategy is recommended (involving habitat management, trapping and, when appropriate, the use of rodenticides). The apparent lack of cyclical population outbreaks and the relatively small litter size and long gestation and interpartum period of this species suggest that it could be more manageable than other vole species, while its strict herbivorous diet, stable population size in open habitats and wide distribution seem to indicate it as an ideal model species for risk assessment studies.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Savi's pine vole occurs in fallow fields, banks of ditches and canals, ecotonal areas, cereals, forage crops and orchards . Only occasionally is it found in forests …”

Section: Savi's Pine Volementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Savi's Pine Volementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Distribution and Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Distribution and Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From biology to management of Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii)

Ranchelli

Barfknecht

Capizzi³

et al. 2016

Pest Management Science

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Assessment of seasonal variation of diet composition in rodents using DNA barcoding and Real-Time PCR

Dell’Agnello

Natali

Bertolino

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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The study of animal diet and feeding behaviour is a fundamental tool for the illustration of the ecological role of species in the ecosystem. However, size and quality of food intake samples make it hard for researchers to describe the diet composition of many small species. In our study, we exploited genomic tools for the analysis of the diet composition of the Savi’s pine vole (Microtus savii) using DNA barcoding and qPCR techniques for the identification of ingested plant species retrieved from stomach contents. In contrast with previous studies, we found that, despite being a fossorial species, the Savi’s pine vole is a selective feeder that undergoes intense superficial activity in search for food. In addition, our study shows that with a a priori knowledge of the candidate plant species included in animal diet, qPCR is a powerful tool to assess presence/absence, frequency of occurrence and electivity of ingested species. We conclude that this approach offers new opportunities to implement the analysis of food selection in small animals, thereby revealing a detailed picture of plant-animal interactions.

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Trap type and positioning: how to trap Savi’s pine voles using the tunnel system

et al. 2018

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Savi’s pine vole, Microtus savii, is the most widespread Italian vole species, an important rodent pest in agriculture and yet one of the least studied species. One of the reasons for this gap in knowledge is that members of this species are quite difficult to capture with standard trapping procedures, being fossorial and rarely active aboveground. For this reason, we developed a protocol that maximizes trapping success. This method requires the identification of active tunnel holes and the placement of traps directly in front of the exits. We also compared capture and recapture rates of Savi’s pine voles in three different trap types: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Longworth and Ugglan. If properly equipped with food and nesting material, INRA, Longworth and Ugglan traps showed similar capture rates, but the recapture rate of Ugglan traps was the highest of the three kinds of traps. These results, in combination with the species’ fossorial and social habits, lead us to conclude that Ugglan traps are the best suited for studies on Savi’s pine voles. Our results may have implications for planning and implementing management strategies based on traps rather than rodenticides, as well as field studies on other fossorial small mammals.

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The communities of terrestrial small mammals (Insectivora, Rodentia) of the Nebrodi Mountains (north‐eastern Sicily)

Cited by 4 publications

References 4 publications

From biology to management of Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii)

From biology to management of Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii)

Assessment of seasonal variation of diet composition in rodents using DNA barcoding and Real-Time PCR

Trap type and positioning: how to trap Savi’s pine voles using the tunnel system

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