Wooden or metal: live-trap type preferences of small mammals in relation to habitat, taxon, and sex

Abstract

Live trapping is vital for monitoring small mammal population, yet trap type can affect capture success across habitats, species, and sexes. Here we compared metal Sherman traps and wooden Dziekanówka traps in paired setup across forest, meadow, and wetland habitats in the Lower Oder Valley, recording 878 captures. Wooden trap yielded 67% of captures, with forest- dwelling Apodemus flavicollis and meadow-dwelling A. agrarius showing habitat-specific preferences for wooden traps. Male shrews ( Sorex spp.) were more frequently captured in wooden traps, indicating sex-related behavioural differences. No trap preference was observed in Clethrionomys glareolus and Microtini species. These results suggest that wooden traps provide better microclimatic conditions and reduced disturbance, enhancing capture rates for certain taxa and sexes. Combining trap types is recommended to minimize sampling biases and improve population assessments, particularly for insectivorous small mammals in heterogeneous habitats.

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