Insight into Body Condition Variability in Small Mammals

Abstract

The body condition index (BCI) is an indicator of both reproductive success and health in small mammals and might help to understand ecological roles of species. We analyzed BCI data from 28,567 individuals trapped in Lithuania between 1980 and 2023. We compared BCIs between species and examined differences in age groups, gender, and reproductive statuses within each species. Seven out of eighteen species had sample sizes with N < 100. In terms of species, we found that seven of the eight species with the highest average BCIs are granivores or omnivores, which can consume animal-based food at least seasonally. The two contrasting (decreasing or increasing) BCI patterns observed during ontogeny can be related to diet differences among juveniles, subadults, and adult animals. Our results demonstrate that reproductive stress has a negative impact on the BCI of adult females in all analyzed species and nearly all adult males. Although the animals with extremely low BCI consisted mostly of shrews, for the first time we found 23 common and pygmy shrews exhibiting the Chitty effect, i.e., a very high body mass resulting in a BCI > 5.0. This is the first multi-species approach of body condition at middle latitudes. The results increase our understanding of how changing environmental conditions are affecting small mammals.