The prevalence of a parasitic nematode of slow worms, <italic>Neoxysomatium brevicaudatum,</italic> was also investigated using PCR primers. Prevalence was higher in males and females in April. Analysis of smooth snake diet confirmed that predation on reptiles was high but revealed increasing consumption of small mammals with age. Predation on reptiles by grass snakes was higher than expected and suggests competition may exist between smooth snakes and grass snakes at a juvenile stage. Overall, these results provide information pertinent to translocation and reintroduction programmes along with conservation management strategies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:584794 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Brown, David Steven |
| Publisher | Cardiff University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://orca.cf.ac.uk/54146/ |
Page generated in 0.0015 seconds