Long-term population dynamics of the common shrew Sorex araneus in Finland

We have analyzed the regularity, regional variation and density-dependence in the long-term dynamics of the common shrew Sorex araneus in six regions in Finland. The impact of some external factors on shrew dynamics is also examined. Autocorrelation analyses revealed no regular multiannual cycles; s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annales zoologici Fennici 1989-01, Vol.26 (4), p.349-355
Main Authors: Henttonen, Heikki, Haukisalmi, Voitto, Kaikusalo, Asko, Korpimäki, Erkki, Norrdahl, Kai, Skarén, Uolevi A. P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autocorrelation
Biological and medical sciences
Demecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Mammalia
Mortality
Population dynamics
Predation
Predators
Rodents
Seasons
Shrews
Snow
Snow cover
Vertebrata
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Summary:We have analyzed the regularity, regional variation and density-dependence in the long-term dynamics of the common shrew Sorex araneus in six regions in Finland. The impact of some external factors on shrew dynamics is also examined. Autocorrelation analyses revealed no regular multiannual cycles; seasonal fluctuations and erratic long-term fluctuations prevailed. No synchrony in the long-term dynamics of shrews between the regions was found. In each region either summer growth rate or winter mortality rate were density-dependent. The climatic factors analyzed (snow depth and winter temperature) correlated rarely with winter mortality. The summer declines of shrews at low densities were often synchronous with microtine declines, especially in Lapland, where the cyclicity of microtine rodents is pronounced. Synchronous summer declines suggest a common factor affecting both shrew and microtine dynamics, which most probably is specialist predation by weasels. In western Finland, however, the reasons for slight summer declines in shrews at high densities could be interference by rodents or predation by nomadic avian predators.
ISSN:0003-455X
1797-2450