EN
Multiannual variation is one of several types of species morphological variability, one that is directly related to ecophenotypic and evolutionary responses to changing environments. The morphology of small mammal populations can change quickly because generation length is short, usually one year, and individual lifespans are often only a year or two. We studied the response of skull and mandible morphology in the common shrew Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758 to nine climate factors related to snow cover, temperature and precipitation at a study site near Syktyvkar, Russia through the period 1976 to 2003. We found that these multivariate phenotypes changed significantly from year to year, though there were no clear directional trends in the change. The phenotype itself was closely associated with the range of annual temperature and winter precipitation. Changes in summer temperatures and precipitation seem to drive change in size-related phenotypes, whereas changes in snow cover and winter temperature seem to drive change in shape.