Irish pine martens behave differently to others, according to nocturnal studies by a WIT team, writes Dick Ahlstrom
DNA technology is helping a research group in Waterford learn more about a local population of pine martens. Genetic fingerprinting is being used to identify individuals, study their behaviour and assess their use of space.
A comparatively small group of pine martens lives in the Curraghmore Forest near Portlaw, Co Waterford, and a team from the Waterford Institute of Technology, led by Dr Catherine O'Reilly, is studying their movements. Dr O'Reilly is a molecular geneticist and a senior lecturer in WIT's department of chemical and life sciences. "It is a rare species in Ireland and we happened to have a healthy population near us in Waterford," she explains.
The nocturnal mammal is more frequently found in the west, in Co Clare and the Burren, and there is also an introduced group in Killarney. They are much more plentiful in Scotland.
The Curraghmore group is isolated from the larger groups in the west, she says. Despite this they seem healthy and well and their proximity means they are ideal for study.
"We don't know how many animals there are, perhaps 20. We are interested in how they survive there," she says. "We want to look at the population in Portlaw but also nationally. We are interested in looking at genetic diversity, how much diversity there is in our population."
Pine martens are an engaging animal but difficult to watch in the wild, given their nocturnal habits. They are slender with long dark chestnut-brown fur and a bushy tail with a distinctive creamy-yellow throat. A male can measure about 68cm from nose to tail tip and females are slightly smaller.
They are a mainly carnivorous, tree-living member of the weasel family that prefer to hunt after dusk and into the night. Just about anything can be on the menu, from small birds and mammals to beetles, birds' eggs, berries and even carrion. They are surprisingly agile for their size and are one of the few carnivores quick enough to catch squirrels. They are also resilient and can land on their feet cat-like after a 20m fall from a tree.
They prefer forest cover, particularly conifer, and tend of avoid the open ground, says O'Reilly. As part of the project she will attempt, with fellow academic Dr Peter Turner, to track their spread and use of territory.
"It looks like the Irish pine marten behaves very differently to pine martens in other parts of the world," she says. In Scotland they stake out huge territories for themselves. Here they operate on much smaller individual territories. This could relate to the availability of food or other factors, she explains.
The team can sample DNA by analysing droppings but they have also developed a very effective method for collecting hair samples that can provide DNA. It involves mounting a plastic tube in a tree and then baiting it with peanut butter or chicken. As the animal passes through to take the food, a sticky area inside the tube collects the hair samples.
The trick is being able to develop specific markers in the DNA that can provide the information the team needs. "We have just developed a set of DNA markers that allow us to fingerprint them," says O'Reilly.
They have five so far and are developing additional markers. "We need more to look at issues such as kinship."
The genetic profiles built up by the Waterford group could be compared with similar profiles from other populations, including another isolated group near Inisteague. The study may reveal how such a small group manages to remain healthy despite the apparent lack of genetic diversity available to it.
Funding for the research has come from the Heritage Council and from the Department of Agriculture via the National Pine Marten Survey being organised by Dr Declan O'Mahony, O'Reilly explains.
O'Reilly's PhD student, Jacinta Mullins, received support for the work via the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology's Embark programme.