Consistent demographic trends in Savi's pine vole between two distant areas in central Italy

Abstract

The Savi's pine vole, Microtus savii is an Italian species living in grasslands, both natural and anthropogenic (i.e. agroecosystems) where it is generally considered a pest because it may damage crops and orchards. As for most rodent pests, the extent of the damage might depend on population density and temporal food availability (e.g. Brown et al. 2007, Jacob & Tkadlek 2010. However, data on demographic parameters are not available, making ecologically-based management strategies difficult to plan. Therefore, we conducted a study on Savi's pine vole demography for one year in two study areas in central Italy using capture-mark-recapture method. Density values ranged from 3 to 32 ind./ha, the highest population densities occurred in October, while the lowest occurred in February-April in both study areas. Turnover rates of both populations were very high, with time of residency usually no longer than two months. Juveniles´ survival was constant in both study areas, but it differed between the two populations regarding adults. The two populations showed similar demographic trends along the year with relatively small intra-annual fluctuations. The breeding season covered the whole year in both areas. The results here presented contribute to add meaningful information about this poorly known species, and could be useful to plan population control strategies for this rodent in agroecosystems. population density, survival rate, turnover, time of residency in the population and sex ratio. The aim of our study was to improve for the first time knowledge on demography of this endemic species in agricultural landscape. Our data should be useful for planning and developing efficient control strategies for this species known as a pest (e.g. Jacob 2013, Ranchelli et al. 2016). Materials and methods Study areaThis study was carried out in two peach orchards of 2 ha each. These plots are located in two regions of central Italy, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, where climatic conditions are similar.The study area in Emilia Romagna is located near the town of Imola (44°21′ N, 11°42′ E), in a highlyfragmented, predominantly rural area, with average annual rainfalls of 750 mm and mean annual temperatures ranging between +2.6°C and +23.7°C. The landscape of two study areas is similar, characterized by plain topography and formed by agricultural plots separated by ditches and secondary roads. Savi's pine voles here coexist with common voles (Microtus arvalis), with the latter attaining very low densities. The study area in Tuscany, about 125 km away from the previous one, is located near the town of Foiano della Chiana (43°15′ N, 11°48′ E), hereafter Foiano, an area relatively far away from urban settlements, with average annual rainfalls of 700 mm and mean annual temperatures between +5.8°C and +23.0°C. The only vole species to be found in this area is the Savi's pine vole. Both areas consist of peach orchards, similarly managed, with trees ageing from 5 to 15 years, with a between-trees distance ranging from 1.5 to 3 meters (depending...

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

“…Interestingly, we found that despite the number of individuals varies between 2 and 32 per hectare 74 , and therefore regardless of the competition for food resources, the Savi’s pine vole feeds upon S . vulgaris , a poisonous plant which contains high concentrations of secondary toxic compounds such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids that were showed to cause liver damages and even lead to the death of a number of other herbivore species 75,76 .…”