Sorex araneus . Genetic diversity of island populations of the common shrew Sorex araneus . ... Conservation biologists need to know the effect of population size on genetic diversity as this is likely to influence a populationв?Ts ability to persist. ... In a study of common shrews ( Sorex araneus ) on offshore Scottish islands, 147 individuals from 6 islands of different sizes and 2 mainland sites were trapped and genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci. ... Introduction to Conservation Genetics. ...