Sampling understory birds in different habitat types using point counts and camera traps

Context European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are reaching plague proportions again in some parts of New Zealand as the effect of rabbit haemorrhagic disease begins to wane. Effective monitoring techniques are required to quantify the success of alternative methods of controlling rabbits, such as poisoning. Aim To evaluate camera traps as a method of estimating the percentage of rabbits killed in a poison control operation, and to compare results obtained from cameras with those from traditional monitoring methods (spotlight transects and vantage-point counts). Methods We deployed cameras and conducted vantage-point counts and spotlight transects to compare a priori statistical power. We then used these monitoring methods to estimate percentage kill from a case study rabbit-control operation using sodium fluoroacetate (compound 1080). Key results Cameras had good statistical power to detect large reductions in rabbit numbers (>90%) and the percentage kill estimated using cameras was comparable with spotlight transects and vantage-point counts. Conclusions Cameras set up at fixed sampling locations can be an effective method of quantitatively assessing rabbit population control outcomes. We recommend that ≥6 cameras per 100 ha should remain active for at least 5 days before and 5 days following control, so as to obtain reliable estimates of percentage kill. Implications Cameras may be preferable to conventional monitoring methods where there is insufficient area to walk or drive transects, terrain is too rugged or scrubby for transects, and there are no or few vantage points from which to count rabbits.

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Camera trapping rare and threatened avifauna in west-central Sumatra

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270908000051 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 30-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Yoan Dinata ◽

Agung Nugroho ◽

Iding Achmad Haidir ◽

Matthew Linkie

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Bird Species ◽

Camera Trap ◽

Camera Traps ◽

Forest Site ◽

Habitat Types ◽

West Central ◽

Routine Monitoring ◽

Kerinci Seblat National Park ◽

Central Sumatra

AbstractTropical forests are becoming increasingly degraded and fragmented by logging, which can affect the survival of forest bird species in different ways. In this study, we present avifauna data collected from a monitoring programme in west-central Sumatra that set camera traps in three study areas with different habitat types, levels of degradation and protection status. From 5,990 camera trap-nights, 248 independent bird photographs were recorded, comprising four orders and nine species, including three endemic species. The Great Argus Pheasant (Argusianus argus) was recorded in all study areas and most frequently (n = 202 photographs), followed by the threatened Salvadori's Pheasant (Lophura inornata). The greatest diversity of bird species (five) and abundance index (1.44 bird photographs/100 trap-nights) was recorded from a primary hill-submontane forest site located inside Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP) bordering degraded forest in a former logging concession recently repatriated into KSNP. However, inside a primary-selectively logged hill-submontane forest site spread over KSNP and an ex-logging concession, a Sumatran Ground Cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis) was photographed. This species is noteworthy because prior to this study it had only been documented once since 1916. It is therefore crucial to use the camera trap results to increase the protection status for the ground cuckoo area. This has already happened in the other two study areas, where camera trap data have been used to reclassify the areas as Core Zones, the highest level of protection inside KSNP. This study illustrates how routine monitoring can have wider benefits through recording, and conserving, threatened and endemic non-target species in unexpected habitats that might not otherwise have been surveyed.

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Spatial distribution and habitat preferences of co-occurring vertebrate species: Case study of an endangered frog and an introduced toad in Fiji.

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc110068 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 68 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Nunia Thomas ◽

Clare Morrison ◽

Linto Winder ◽

Craig Morley

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Habitat Management ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Habitat Associations ◽

Ecological Data ◽

Cane Toad ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Point Counts ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact

Wildlife management, particularly the conservation of threatened species, often involves habitat management and an understanding of species preferences. Much ecological data used to establish rare and endangered species distributions and/or habitat associations exists in the form of point counts which often violates the assumptions of commonly used statistical techniques. In this study, the spatial distribution and habitat preferences of an endangered, endemic frog (Platymantis vitianus — Fiji ground frog) and an introduced toad (Rhinella marina — cane toad) were observed and mapped on a 60 ha island using a grid of 232 sampling points with 50 × 20 m spacing. The Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices (SADIE) analytical tool demonstrated that despite the wide range of habitats present on Viwa Island, both ground frogs and cane toads displayed clear and defined macrohabitat preferences. Whilst both species showed a strong preference for Inocarpus fagifer forests, there was little overlap in other habitat types with the ground frogs preferring more densely vegetated forest habitats and cane toads preferring more open habitat types close to both permanent and temporary water sources. Within the I. fagifer forests, there was no evidence of overlap in the distributions of the two species. The spatial pattern evident indicates that cane toad and ground frog populations co-exist, probably due to similar habitat preferences. However, a more detailed study on the interactions between the two species within their natural environment is needed to determine the nature and magnitude of the impact of the cane toad on the ground frog.

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Assessing Distribution Patterns and the Relative Abundance of Reintroduced Large Herbivores in the Limpopo National Park, Mozambique

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13100456 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 456

Author(s):

Dionísio Virgílio Roque ◽

Thomas Göttert ◽

Valério António Macandza ◽

Ulrich Zeller

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

National Park ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Intermediate Stage ◽

Camera Traps ◽

Specific Response ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Large Herbivore ◽

Large Herbivores ◽

Abundance Index

This study is the first systematic assessment of large herbivore (LH) communities in Limpopo National Park (LNP) in Mozambique, an area where most LH species were extinct until the early 2000s. We investigate whether LH community parameters are linked with the availability of habitat types or the distance between sampling sites and the origin of LH resettlement. We placed camera traps in five habitat types in resettled and not-resettled areas to compare species richness, relative abundance index, grazers–browsers–mixed feeder ratio and naïve occupancy of 15 LH species. While the richness decreased along the distance gradient of LH resettlement, relative abundance index strongly responded to habitat features. Among habitat types, the browsers ratio oscillated, while from resettled to not-resettled areas, the ratio increased. Most species showed a wider distribution range among habitat types. The associations of most LH community parameters with habitat types rather than distance to initial release, together with the species-specific and guild-specific response patterns of LH, suggest LNP to already be in an intermediate stage of restoration. Our results highlight the importance of post-release monitoring of reintroduced wildlife as a tool to assess the success of ecological restoration initiatives in transboundary conservation areas.

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Distribution and habitat description of Junín Rail Laterallus tuerosi, Andean Peru

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270916000599 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 388-397 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

LARS DINESEN ◽

ALAN CHAMORRO ◽

JON FJELDSÅ ◽

CONSTANTINO AUCCA

Keyword(s):

Vegetation Structure ◽

Water Levels ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Hydroelectric Power ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Open Spaces ◽

Marsh Vegetation ◽

Point Count ◽

Point Counts ◽

Juncus Balticus

SummaryDistribution and habitat description of the endangered Junín Rail Laterallus tuerosi were assessed during a field study between 6 and 20 February 2014 in the marshes surrounding Lake Junín in the high Andes of Peru, which is the only known locality for the species. By using point counts and playback, we found the species to be present in the marshland all around the lake, with preference for two clearly defined habitat types: one comprising extensively grazed tussocks of Festuca dolichophylla and the other of rather uniform stands of Juncus balticus with undergrowth, or smaller open spaces, with various low herbs. We estimate the suitable habitat of the species to be a minimum of 100 km2 and based upon our point count data we provide indicative population figures of 6,200 individuals, which is higher than previous estimates. No records were obtained without playback, although five minutes of silent listening prior to playback were used at each point. All records were in vegetation of at least 0.5 m tall and in the marshy edge on muddy ground with less than 20 cm of water depth. Grazing especially by sheep or cattle is a serious threat to the marsh vegetation structure essential for Junín Rail and the rail is also under pressure from fluctuations in water levels accentuated by regulation for hydroelectric power.

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Keanekaragaman Mamalia di Cagar Alam Rimbo Panti, Kabupaten Pasaman, Sumatera Barat

JURNAL BIOLOGI UNAND ◽

10.25077/jbioua.6.1.23-29.2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 23

Author(s):

Tomi Kasayev ◽

Jabang Nurdin ◽

Wilson Novarino

Keyword(s):

Nature Reserve ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Camera Traps ◽

Forest Types ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Forest Habitat ◽

Conservation Area ◽

Wiener Diversity Index ◽

West Sumatra

Rimbo Panti Nature Reserve is a conservation area located in West Sumatra which consisted of two main habitat types, dry hilly and swampy forest habitat types. These forest types potentially board many species of mammals. This research was conducted from December 2015 to March 2016 in The Nature Reserve to determine the diversity of mammals occupied each type of habitats. Twenty two camera traps were installed in pairs, six pairs in the dry hilly habitat (574-871 m asl) and five pairs in the swampy habitat (216-261 m asl). From a total 109 photos, 17 species were identified, consisted of 11 species from hilly and 10 species from swampy forest habitat. There were four species found in both habitat types. Shannon-Wiener diversity index showed that mammalian diversity of Rimbo Panti Nature Reserve is moderate (H’=1.95) while mammalian diversity in swampy forest (H’= 2.06) was higher than hilly habitat forest (H’=1.54).

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Occurrence of mammalian small carnivores in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.3670.13.3.17984-17989 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 17984-17989

Author(s):

A. Venkatesh ◽

N. Sridharan ◽

S. Agnes Jeya Packiavathi ◽

K. Muthamizh Selvan

Keyword(s):

Western Ghats ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Camera Trap ◽

Camera Traps ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Altitudinal Range ◽

Tiger Reserve ◽

Palm Civet ◽

Prionailurus Bengalensis ◽

Capture Rates

The small mammalian carnivores are important for maintaining healthy ecosystems. The present documentation is based on the camera trap survey in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. Paired camera-traps were set in a grid of 1.413 × 1.413 km area of 180km² within an altitudinal range of 80–1,866 m. A total of 11 species were recorded in different habitat types. Brown Palm Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni and Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis had the highest capture rates and the lowest was Rusty Spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus.

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Disentangling the role of shared ancestry and the environment on leaf stable isotopes

10.32942/osf.io/mfhve ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Marko J. Spasojevic ◽

Sören Weber1

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotopes ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Environmental Control ◽

Phylogenetic Signal ◽

Individual Species ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Δ13c And Δ15n ◽

Environmental Controls ◽

Shared Ancestry

Stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopes in plants are important indicators of plant water use efficiency and N acquisition strategies. While often regarded as being under environmental control, there is growing evidence that evolutionary history may also shape variation in stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) among plant species. Here we examined patterns of foliar δ13C and δ15N in alpine tundra for 59 species in 20 plant families. To assess the importance of environmental controls and evolutionary history, we examined if average δ13C and δ15N predictably differed among habitat types, if individual species exhibited intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in δ13C and δ15N, and if there were a significant phylogenetic signal in δ13C and δ15N. We found that variation among habitat types in both δ13C and δ15N mirrored well-known patterns of water and nitrogen limitation. Conversely, we also found that 40% of species exhibited no ITV in δ13C and 35% of species exhibited no ITV in δ15N, suggesting that some species are under stronger evolutionary control. However, we only found a modest signal of phylogenetic conservatism in δ13C and no phylogenetic signal in δ15N suggesting that shared ancestry is a weaker driver of tundra wide variation in stable isotopes. Together, our results suggest that both evolutionary history and local environmental conditions play a role in determining variation in δ13C and δ15N and that considering both factors can help with interpreting isotope patterns in nature and with predicting which species may be able to respond to rapidly changing environmental conditions.

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