Morphometric variation of the common shrew, Sorex araneus, in different habitats

Morphometric variation of the common shrew was studied in three different habitats (dry meadow, wet sedge bog, and floodplain forest) in Biatowieza, north-eastern Poland. Morphometric differentiation was examined by the use of 26 orthogonal mandibular measurements in 138 specimens. Comparison of mean values by discriminant functions in three studied samples of shrews revealed statistically significant differences (x(2) = 96.812, d.f. = 52, p = 0.0002). The discriminant function analysis performed on 26 morphological variables led to a correct classification in 70.3 % of cases. Differences observed between samples in this study indicate that there is important morphometric variation within the population of shrews in Bialowieza. However, it can be suggested that differentiation of mandibular morphology in the common shrew is not clearly related to environmental heterogeneity.