Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2025
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V79
Höfundar / Authors: Viktor Árnason
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: Háskóli Íslands/Náttúrufræðistofnun
Kynnir / Presenter: Viktor Árnason
The only terrestrial vertebrate herbivore in Iceland, with a large distribution, the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) fulfills the vital niche as a small ground dwelling rodent. Wood mice act as generalist granivores, opportunistic insectivores and herbivores based on time of year, local availability and niche segregation. In Iceland they have the opportunity to encompass their entire niche breadth and potentially select for specific “ideal” food species due to lack of competition. Wood mice have drastic population fluctuations over the course of a year, and all populations are sensitive to disruption, especially in early summer. Through non-invasive eDNA sequencing of wood mouse faeces collected in birch forests across Iceland we test this method in identifying the dietary composition of Icelandic wood mice, selecting for COI and 16S markers. We hope this method will become the standard in wood mouse dietary analysis and replace the invasive cull-dissect method commonly used for these sensitive populations. Preliminary results in dietary composition show a high affinity for berry forming heath, cranesbills, mouse-ears, brambles, etc. Analysis for potential selection within one trapping area, Teigsskógur in the Westfjords, based on local availability of plant types and a PERMANOVA between area analysis looking at differences between regions in Iceland are yet to be finished.