scholarly journals Evaluating dall's sheep habitat use via camera traps

2017 ◽  
Vol 81 (8) ◽  
pp. 1457-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy S. Dertien ◽  
Paul F. Doherty ◽  
Calvin F. Bagley ◽  
John A. Haddix ◽  
Aleya R. Brinkman ◽  
...  
2009 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Octavio Monroy-Vilchis ◽  
Vicente Urios ◽  
Martha Zarco-González ◽  
Clarita Rodríguez-Soto

AbstractIn this study the habitat use and activity patterns of the two of the largest cats of the Americas in central Mexico were studied. Three ways to detect felid presence were employed from August 2002 to May 2006: interviews, signs, and camera-traps. 478 records were obtained, from which 441 were from cougar and 37 from jaguar. These records included positive response in 118 of 140 interviews and 236 records of signs (mainly tracks and scats), and 124 photographs. Both felids preferred pine-oak forest habitats, with altitudes higher than 1800 m, distances between 3509 and 4377 m from roads, between 2329 and 4650 m from settlements, and distances to very steep slopes between 1048 and 2059 m, for jaguar, and for cougar lower than 1047 m. Jaguar activity was recorded mainly during nighttimes, between 0:00 and 6:00, whereas cougar was active between 4:00 and 6:00 and between 18:00 and 22:00 hours, avoiding the jaguar's principal activity period.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 16736-16741
Author(s):  
Iliyasu Simon ◽  
Jennifer Che ◽  
Lynne Baker

Globally, colleges and universities are increasingly mandating sustainability and environmental protection into their practices.  To date, such institutions have focused their efforts on recycling and energy-use reduction and less on the management and conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats. However, in an increasingly urbanizing world, well-managed campuses can provide habitat and even refuge for wildlife species.  On the campus of a sustainability-minded university in Nigeria, we used camera traps to determine the presence of wildlife and used occupancy modeling to evaluate factors that influenced the detectability and habitat use of two mammals for which we had sufficient detections: White-tailed Mongoose Ichneumia albicauda and Gambian Rat Cricetomys gambianus.  Our intent was to gather baseline data on campus wildlife to inform future research and make recommendations for maintaining wildlife populations.  We detected wildlife primarily within less-disturbed areas that contained a designated nature area, and the presence of a nature area was the key predictor variable influencing habitat use.  No measured variables influenced detectability.  This study supports other research that highlights the importance of undisturbed or minimally disturbed natural habitats on university campuses for wildlife, especially in increasingly built-up and developed regions.  We recommend that institutions of higher education devote greater resources to making campuses wildlife-friendly and increase opportunities for students to engage in campus-based wildlife research and conservation and other sustainability-related programs. 


2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Giovanii Estrada Hernández

RESUMEN: La Selva Maya es el bosque tropical de hoja ancha más extenso de Centroamérica, se extiende entre México, Guatemala y Belice. El jaguar y el puma, son los felinos más grandes de América. En esta zona viven simpátricamente por lo que se presupone segregación en alguno de los componentes de su nicho ecológico. En este estudio se analizaron y compararon tres de los componentes principales del nicho: dieta, uso de hábitat y patrones de actividad, con el objetivo de evaluar si existe segregación entre el jaguar y el puma. Para la obtención de los datos se colectaron excrementos de manera oportunista, y se utilizaron trampas de cámaras automáticas en cuatro áreas protegidas. Se analizo la zona de estudio, a través de sistemas de información geográfica para determinar las proporciones de distintos tipos de hábitat presentes, y se colectaron datos de abundancias de las presas. Se analizaron los patrones y en la dieta, en el hábitat utilizado y en el horario de actividad. Se determino que el jaguar tuvo una dieta diferente y mas amplia comparada con la del puma, así también que este consume en promedio, presas más pequeñas. Las presas preferidas por elpuma fueron, tres especies de venados y tepezcuintles. Para el jaguar fueron coches de monte, pizotes y armadillos. Ambas especies presentaron un patrón similar de uso de hábitat, donde el "bosque alto" fue utilizado proporcionalmente a su abundancia, y el puma evitó el "bosque bajo". En cuanto a los patrones de actividad, ambos prefirieron horas nocturnas para desplazarse, aunque el puma presento mayor variabilidad. Se observo que ambas especies no se segregan mutuamente, espacial ni temporalmente. La frecuente utilización del "bosque bajo" y su relación con las aguadas y arroyos, es un factor importante en el mantenimiento de poblaciones de grandes felinos en la Selva MayaPALABRAS CLAVE: Felidae, Panthera onca, Puma concolor, coexistencia, nicho ecológico, Selva Maya, segregación ecológica.ABSTRACT: The Mayan Forest is the largest tropical broad-leaf forest remainder in Central America which extends between Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Jaguar and puma are the biggest American wild cats. In this area both live sympatric which suggest segregation in at least one of its ecological niche components. In this study I analyzed and compared three of the principal niche components: diet, habitat use and activity patterns, with the main objective of assess if occurs ecological segregation among jaguar and puma. To obtain the data it was collected  jaguar and puma’s scats in an opportunistic way, and was used automatic camera traps in four protected areas. I analyzed the study area by geographic information system (GIS) to determine proportions of different habitat types, and also I used  previous collected prey abundance data. I analyzed patterns in diet, in habitat use and temporal activity. I found that jaguar had a wider prey spectrum than puma; jaguar took (in average) smallest preys, consequently, diets were significantly different. Puma preferred deer, brocket deer and paca as main prey; in contrast, jaguar preferred collared pecari, coati and armadillo. Both predator species presented a similar pattern in habitat usage, in which "highland forest" was used accordingly with its availability and puma avoided "lowland forest". About activity patterns, both were more active in the night time, however, puma was more variable in this aspect. Both species did not show segregation spatially or temporally. KEYWORDS: Felidae, Panthera onca, Puma concolor, coexistence, ecologic niche, Mayan forest, ecologic segregation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias W. Tobler ◽  
Samia E. Carrillo-Percastegui ◽  
George Powell

Abstract:We studied the habitat use, activity patterns and use of mineral licks by five species of Amazonian ungulate using data from four 60-d camera trap surveys at two different sites in the lowland rain forest of Madre de Dios, Peru. Camera traps were set out in two regular grids with 40 and 43 camera stations covering an area of 50 and 65 km2, as well as at five mineral licks. Using occupancy analysis we tested the hypothesis that species are spatially separated. The results showed that the grey brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira) occurred almost exclusively in terra firme forests, and that the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) used floodplain forest more frequently during some surveys. All other species showed no habitat preference and we did not find any spatial avoidance of species. The white-lipped peccary, the collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) as well as the grey brocket deer were strictly diurnal while the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) was nocturnal. The red brocket deer (Mazama americana) was active day and night. The tapir was the species with the highest number of visits to mineral licks (average 52.8 visits per 100 d) followed by the white-lipped peccary (average 16.1 visits per 100 d) and the red brocket deer (average 17.1 visits per 100 d). The collared peccary was only recorded on three occasions and the grey brocket deer was never seen at a lick. Our results suggest that resource partitioning takes place mainly at the diet level and less at a spatial level; however, differences in small-scale habitat use are still possible.


Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Daniel Alempijevic ◽  
John A. Hart ◽  
Terese B. Hart ◽  
Kate M. Detwiler

Abstract The Endangered dryas monkey Cercopithecus dryas, endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is one of Africa's most enigmatic primates. The discovery of a dryas monkey killed by a hunter in the buffer zone of Lomami National Park in 2014 prompted field research on the species’ distribution, habitat use and stratum preference. We used local knowledge to determine the distribution of this species and to select sites for camera-trap surveys in Lomami National Park and its buffer zone. We employed a multi-strata (0–29 m) camera-trap placement technique to determine habitat use at Camp Bartho in Lomami National Park and Bafundo Forest in the Park's buffer zone. We confirmed the occurrence of the dryas monkey at seven locations over a total area of 3,453 km2, in both the Park and its buffer zone. Dryas monkeys were detected most frequently (2.22 events/100 trap-days) in disturbed areas of Bafundo Forest and less in mature forest in Camp Bartho (0.82 events/100 trap-days). Dryas monkeys appear to prefer structurally complex understories and forest edges. We found that camera traps at 2–10 m above ground over at least 365 trap-days are required to determine if the species is present. We recommend utilizing local knowledge and using this species-specific camera-trap method in other areas of the central Congo basin to determine the wider distribution of the dryas monkey.


2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 571-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine S. Head ◽  
Martha M. Robbins ◽  
Roger Mundry ◽  
Loïc Makaga ◽  
Christophe Boesch

Abstract:Species commonly exist in sympatry, yet ecological studies are often based on a single species approach while ignoring the impact of sympatric competitors. Over 13 mo we used 24 remote video-camera traps to monitor habitat use of sympatric chimpanzee, gorilla and elephant in four different habitat types in Loango National Park, Gabon. Habitat use by each species was predicted to vary according to seasonal changes in food availability and precipitation. Increased interspecific competition between the three species was expected at times of reduced resource availability, leading to exclusion of the inferior competitor. Supporting the predictions, species abundance per habitat showed seasonal variation: all three species responded positively to increased fruit availability in all habitats, but the response was only significant for gorilla in mature forest and elephant in coastal forest. Responses to rainfall varied, with the chimpanzee responding negatively to rainfall in swamp forest, the gorilla responding positively to rainfall in coastal and secondary forest, and the elephant responding positively to rainfall in mature forest. Elephant presence resulted in competitive exclusion of the apes under certain conditions: the chimpanzee was excluded by the elephant where fruit availability was low, whereas the gorilla was excluded by the elephant in areas of low herb density despite high fruit availability. Our results emphasize the value of applying a multi-species, longer-term approach to studying variation in habitat use among sympatric species and highlight the impact competitors can exert on one another's distribution.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2026
Author(s):  
Jilian M. Fazio ◽  
Tony Barthel ◽  
Elizabeth W. Freeman ◽  
Kay Garlick-Ott ◽  
Anne Scholle ◽  
...  

Accredited zoos and aquariums value superior animal husbandry and strive to ensure that the physical, psychological, and social needs of animals are met. In North America, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) relies on species-specific standards to ensure facilities provide the best care for collection animals. The AZA also makes explicit recommendations for long-term monitoring of welfare. Data collected through behavioral observations can be used to modify management as animals respond over time to social, environmental, or physical changes. In long-lived, social species like elephants, it is particularly important to document herd dynamics, calf development, geriatric health, and social bonds throughout their lifetimes. The Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park housed one male and six female Asian elephants in dynamic social groupings. Behavioral observations were conducted on all elephants for two years using two methods involving ZooMonitor, closed circuit cameras, and camera traps. The goal was to compare how these two methods function to provide individual activity budgets, habitat use, and social interactions. Methodologies such as these, alone or in combination, have the potential to produce valuable data about potential changes in welfare over time in a zoological setting and can be performed either by staff or volunteers with high reliability.


Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Dobbins ◽  
Michael K. Steinberg ◽  
Eben N. Broadbent ◽  
Sadie J. Ryan

AbstractParts of southern Belize are designated as a corridor for the jaguar Panthera onca but the Maya region remains understudied. We therefore studied jaguar habitat use, activity patterns, and interactions with people in Blue Creek, a Maya village in a human-dominated tropical landscape in southern Belize. We used camera traps to detect jaguar presence, and interviews to assess local people's attitudes to and perceptions of jaguars. We recorded 28 independent photographic events during 1,200 camera-trap nights (i.e. a relative abundance index of 2.3 jaguars per 100 trap days). Seven individual jaguars were identified. Jaguars preferred lowland broad-leaf tropical forest and were detected more often during daylight, in contrast to findings from previous studies. Attitudes towards jaguars were largely positive: 88% of respondents (n = 48) did not fear jaguars living around the village, and 81% understood the positive effect that jaguars have on the ecosystem. Although 92% of respondents reported seeing a jaguar within the previous 2 years, attacks on livestock in the village were rare, with only two occurrences in the previous 3 years. Ecotourism has grown rapidly in Belize in recent years, and Blue Creek is home to several natural tourist attractions and an eco-lodge that brings tourists, school groups, and researchers to the village. Ecotourism has provided an economic incentive for village investment in conservation, and 94% of respondents stated that preservation of wildlife, including jaguars, was beneficial to their well-being.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0249072
Author(s):  
Roberto Salom-Pérez ◽  
Daniel Corrales-Gutiérrez ◽  
Daniela Araya-Gamboa ◽  
Deiver Espinoza-Muñoz ◽  
Bryan Finegan ◽  
...  

Connectivity of natural areas through biological corridors is essential for ecosystem resilience and biodiversity conservation. However, robust assessments of biodiversity in corridor areas are often hindered by logistical constraints and the statistical challenges of modeling data from multiple species. Herein, we used a hierarchical community occupancy model in a Bayesian framework to evaluate the status of medium and large-sized mammals in a critical link of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) in Costa Rica. We used camera traps deployed from 2013–2017 to detect 18 medium (1–15 kg) and 6 large (>15 kg) mammal species in a portion of two Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) and the Corridor linking them. Camera traps operated for 16,904 trap nights across 209 stations, covering an area of 880 km2. Forest cover was the most important driver of medium and large-sized mammal habitat use, with forest specialists such as jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) strongly associated with high forest cover, while habitat generalists such as coyotes (Canis latrans) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) were associated with low forest cover. Medium and large-sized mammal species richness was lower in the Corridor area (x¯ = 9.78±1.84) than in the portions evaluated of the two JCUs (x¯ = 11.50±1.52). Puma and jaguar habitat use probabilities were strongly correlated with large prey species richness (jaguar, r = 0.59, p<0.001; puma, r = 0.72, p<0.001), and correlated to a lesser extent with medium prey species richness (jaguar, r = 0.36, p = 0.003; puma, r = 0.23, p = 0.064). Low estimated jaguar habitat use probability in one JCU (Central Volcanic Cordillera: x¯ = 0.15±0.11) suggests that this is not the jaguar stronghold previously assumed. In addition, the western half of the Corridor has low richness of large mammals, making it necessary to take urgent actions to secure habitat connectivity for mammal populations.


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