Efficient identification of Microtus cabrerae excrements using noninvasive molecular analysis

Noninvasive sampling is a potentially cost-effective and efficient means of monitoring wild animals that precludes the need for captures and avoids undue disturbance. Nevertheless, it is generally difficult to separate faeces deposited by Microtus cabrerae from that of other sympatric rodents of similar body size on the basis of just morphological features and content. Species identification methods in many noninvasive studies involve mtDNA analysis. Here we report the first use of species-specific primers targeting the SRY gene in a noninvasive molecular identification of Cabrera’s vole. This noninvasive molecular-based technique may thus provide us with a potential tool for further genetic and ecological study of this threatened species of Iberian vole.