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VOLE FEVER NAVIGATION
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See the Latest from the Field:
Fieldwork has begun!
5/28/2021
After a year of patiently waiting for vaccinations and the world to slowly open up, we have finally been able to travel to Finland and begin trapping bank voles!
In mid-April two PhD students, Janine Mistrick and Shannon Kitchen, began setting up our trapping sites in and around Lammi, Finland. 100m x 100m grids were measured and staked, traps were cleaned, seeds were baked, sample tubes were labelled, protocols were written, and data sheets were made, all while eagerly awaiting the first trapping occasion.
In mid-April two PhD students, Janine Mistrick and Shannon Kitchen, began setting up our trapping sites in and around Lammi, Finland. 100m x 100m grids were measured and staked, traps were cleaned, seeds were baked, sample tubes were labelled, protocols were written, and data sheets were made, all while eagerly awaiting the first trapping occasion.
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By mid-May, PIs, Sarah Budischak and Kristian Forbes, arrived and completed their mandatory quarantine, allowing us to set our first group of sites on May 13th.
Although density does not seem to be high this year, we were able to trap 22 bank voles!
Although density does not seem to be high this year, we were able to trap 22 bank voles!
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With each capture, we collected blood, saliva, and fecal samples to test for Puumala hantavirus infection, immune response, and to quantify helminth burden. We also tagged each vole with a unique PIT tag, to hopefully track them over the next year. Finally, we gave voles caught on 6 of our grids anthelminthic drugs to deworm them, and supplemented 6 of our sites with food (with 3 sites receiving both treatments). Yay for finally getting data points!
Luckily, two new research techs, Jasmine Veitch and Sam Clague, were able to join our team by the end of May to help with sampling and lab work, as Kris and Sarah's stay came to an end.
Before leaving, however, Sarah arranged a meeting with collaborators Tomas Strandin and Tarja Sironen in Helsinki. This meant we were able to spend more time together working out the details of our protocols, but also sight-seeing and enjoying Finnish culture. It was a lovely end to a first trapping occasion.
Luckily, two new research techs, Jasmine Veitch and Sam Clague, were able to join our team by the end of May to help with sampling and lab work, as Kris and Sarah's stay came to an end.
Before leaving, however, Sarah arranged a meeting with collaborators Tomas Strandin and Tarja Sironen in Helsinki. This meant we were able to spend more time together working out the details of our protocols, but also sight-seeing and enjoying Finnish culture. It was a lovely end to a first trapping occasion.
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If you are wondering where we are between now and June's trapping occasion, you can probably catch us in the sauna... oh I mean lab!
See you soon metsämyyrä.
See you soon metsämyyrä.
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