Diets of the Shrews Sorex araneus L. and Sorex minutus L. in Wytham Grassland

Abstract

Animals were collected in an area known as Rough Common where thin soil covers the limestone cap of Wytham Hill and Brachypodium pinnatum (L.) is the dominant plant species. The area is divided by a road, one part bounded on the other sides by woodland and the second by a muddy cart track. The surrounding woodland is mixed deciduous with bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.) hawthorn (Craetagus monogyna Jacq.), wild rose (Rosa sp. L.) and a few deciduous saplings forming a transition zone between it and the grassland. Bramble is also found in patches in the lower lying areas of the grassland and bracken (Pteridium aquilinum L.) on slight rises. The ground flora includes teasel