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11 March 2025 Pollen and Microplastics in Hedgehog (Erinaceus europeaus) Faeces as a Means to Identify Landscape Use in Urban and Sub-Urban Environments of the United Kingdom
Kerry Webber, Jessica McCoy, Abbie Rogers, Miranda T. Prendergast-Miller, Tamma Carel, Matthew J. Pound
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Abstract

Within the UK, the western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) has suffered a long-term population decline to the point of being considered vulnerable to extinction in Great Britain. Here we test whether the pollen content of hedgehog faeces reflects their dominantly insect diet, rather than atmospheric contamination. Palynological results show that entomophilous pollen is the most common in hedgehog faeces. This implies that the pollen signature of hedgehog faeces reflects the habitat within which they were feeding. This could therefore be used to track hedgehogs through botanically heterogeneous landscapes such as urban and sub-urban gardens. An exploratory study was also performed to assess the presence of microplastics within faecal samples. Microplastics were present in all but two samples.

Kerry Webber, Jessica McCoy, Abbie Rogers, Miranda T. Prendergast-Miller, Tamma Carel, and Matthew J. Pound "Pollen and Microplastics in Hedgehog (Erinaceus europeaus) Faeces as a Means to Identify Landscape Use in Urban and Sub-Urban Environments of the United Kingdom," Palynology 49(2), 1-8, (11 March 2025). https://doi.org/10.1080/01916122.2024.2406867
Published: 11 March 2025
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KEYWORDS
faecal samples
ingestion
mammal
Microplastics
terrestrial
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