‘Video-scats’: combining camera trapping and non-invasive genotyping to assess individual identity and hybrid status in gray wolf

Camera traps use a motion sensor to capture images of passing animals, representing verifiable and non-invasive records of the presence of a given species at a specified place and time. These simple records provide fundamental data on biodiversity that have proven invaluable to conservation. Thanks to the improved (better, smaller, and less expensive) camera technology and the concurrent development of analytical approaches, camera trapping science has grown steadily in the last 15 years and advanced our knowledge of elusive and rare fauna across the planet. Here we review the use and potential of camera trapping in conservation science. We start with an introduction to the importance and challenges of studying reclusive wildlife and discuss the technical aspects of camera traps that make them so efficient and widely used for this purpose. We then review the variety of ways camera trapping has contributed to conservation, first presenting the wildlife metrics camera traps can document and then surveying how these have been applied to conservation through studies of habitat preference, distribution models, threat assessments, monitoring, and evaluations of conservation interventions. We also present case studies showing how camera trapping can effectively contribute to link ecological monitoring to conservation, including how data and images can be used to engage the public and policymakers with conservation issues, and how this work is now being scaled up through citizen science and networks of standardized data collection coupled with cyber-infrastructures for automatized analyses. We conclude by reviewing possible technological improvements of camera traps and how they would aid conservation in the future.

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The Mostela: an adjusted camera trapping device as a promising non-invasive tool to study and monitor small mustelids

Mammal Research ◽

10.1007/s13364-020-00513-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 843-853

Author(s):

Jeroen Mos ◽

Tim Ragnvald Hofmeester

Keyword(s):

Detection Probability ◽

Individual Recognition ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Camera Trapping ◽

Occupancy Modelling ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Mustela Nivalis ◽

Site Use ◽

Small Mustelids ◽

Trapping Device

Abstract In spite of their potential important role in shaping small mammal population dynamics, weasel (Mustela nivalis) and stoat (Mustela erminea) are understudied due to the difficulty of detecting these species. Furthermore, their conservation status in many countries is unknown due to lack of monitoring techniques. There is thus an important need for a method to detect these small mustelids. In this study, we tested the efficiency of a recently developed camera trapping device, the Mostela, as a new technique to detect mustelids in a study area near Dieren, the Netherlands. We placed Mostelas in linear landscape features, and other microhabitats thought to be frequently visited by weasels, from March to October 2017 and February to October 2018. We tested for yearly and monthly differences in site use and detectability, as well as the effect of entrance tube size, using an occupancy modelling framework. We found large seasonal differences in site use and detectability of weasels with the highest site use in June to October and highest detection probability in August and September. Detection probability was approximately two times higher for Mostelas with a 10-cm entrance tube compared with 8-cm. Furthermore, we were able to estimate activity patterns based on the time of detection, identify the sex in most detections (69.5%), and distinguish several individuals. Concluding, the Mostela seems promising as a non-invasive monitoring tool to study the occurrence and ecology of small mustelids. Further development of individual recognition from images would enable using the Mostela for density estimates applying capture-recapture models.

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Non-invasive diagnostic PCRs for rapid detection of golden jackal, red fox, and gray wolf/domestic dog and application to validate golden jackal presence in Styria, Austria

European Journal of Wildlife Research ◽

10.1007/s10344-021-01488-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 67 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Tamara Schenekar ◽

Marlene Karrer ◽

Immanuel Karner ◽

Steven J. Weiss

Keyword(s):

Wildlife Management ◽

Genetic Screening ◽

Red Fox ◽

Domestic Dog ◽

Gray Wolf ◽

Golden Jackal ◽

Inexpensive Method ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Increase Risk ◽

Screening Protocol

AbstractHuman-predator conflicts are frequently caused by livestock and/or game depredation. The golden jackal’s (Canis aureus) range expansion in Europe, as well as the recent re-expansion of several gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations, might increase risk of such conflicts. In Austria, golden jackal presence has been increasing since the 1990s including reports of wildlife and livestock kills, frequently occurring in the provinces Styria and Burgenland. We developed a rapid, two-step genetic screening protocol to (1) detect canid mtDNA from non-invasively collected samples like swabs from kills using diagnostic PCRs, and (2) assign this DNA to red fox (Vulpes vulpes), golden jackal, or gray wolf/dog. To monitor golden jackal presence in the region, a total of 167 signs of presence were collected over a period of 30 months throughout the Styrian province. Among these, 14 non-invasive genetic samples (13 swabs from kill sites and one scat) were screened with the developed protocol. Four of these samples revealed golden jackal mtDNA and six samples red fox mtDNA. The developed genetic screening protocol represents a quick and inexpensive method to assess canid presence, e.g., at kill sites, and therefore possesses high value for the conservation and wildlife management community.

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Predicting the individual identity of non-invasive faecal and hair samples using biotelemetry clusters

Mammalian Biology ◽

10.1007/s42991-021-00173-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Levi Newediuk ◽

Eric Vander Wal

Keyword(s):

Individual Identity ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Hair Samples ◽

The Individual

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Acoustic Identification of Wild Gray Wolves, Canis lupus, Using Low Quality Recordings

American Journal of Undergraduate Research ◽

10.33697/ajur.2020.005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 41-49

Author(s):

Cara Hull ◽

Caitlin McCombe ◽

Angela Dassow

Keyword(s):

Canis Lupus ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Low Cost ◽

Individual Identification ◽

Invasive Technique ◽

Gray Wolf ◽

Vocal Individuality ◽

Gray Wolves ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Acoustic Signatures

Invasive trapping and radio-collaring techniques are currently used by conservation biologists to study the population dynamics of gray wolves (Canis lupus). Previous research has found wolf howls can be used to determine individual identity on high quality recordings from captive animals, offering an opportunity for non-invasive monitoring of packs.We recorded wild wolves in Central Wisconsin to determine the effectiveness of these features in determining individuality in low quality recordings. The wolf howls analyzed were from two adult individuals from separate packs. Using a principle component analysis, maximum frequency and end frequency of the calls were determined to be most individualistic. Using these features in a discriminant function analysis, howls were able to be identified from individuals with 100% accuracy. Gray wolves play an important role in ecosystem maintenance, however, the current monitoring techniques are costly and invasive. The creation of an easily accessible, non-invasive technique that can be used by individuals with a variety of technical backgrounds is necessary to address concerns faced by conservation efforts. To address these issues, all analyses performed usedfree or low-cost software, making this method of individual identification a useful alternative for conservation biologists. KEYWORDS: Canis lupus lycaon; Gray Wolf; Acoustic Signatures; Howls; Tracking Method; Conservation; Vocal Individuality

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X-ray microtomography

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100107058 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 998-999

Author(s):

H.W. Deckman ◽

B.F. Flannery ◽

J.H. Dunsmuir ◽

K.D' Amico

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Internal Structure ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Tissue Structure ◽

Individual Element ◽

X Ray ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Panoramic Imaging ◽

Three Dimensional Images

We have developed a new X-ray microscope which produces complete three dimensional images of samples. The microscope operates by performing X-ray tomography with unprecedented resolution. Tomography is a non-invasive imaging technique that creates maps of the internal structure of samples from measurement of the attenuation of penetrating radiation. As conventionally practiced in medical Computed Tomography (CT), radiologists produce maps of bone and tissue structure in several planar sections that reveal features with 1mm resolution and 1% contrast. Microtomography extends the capability of CT in several ways. First, the resolution which approaches one micron, is one thousand times higher than that of the medical CT. Second, our approach acquires and analyses the data in a panoramic imaging format that directly produces three-dimensional maps in a series of contiguous stacked planes. Typical maps available today consist of three hundred planar sections each containing 512x512 pixels. Finally, and perhaps of most import scientifically, microtomography using a synchrotron X-ray source, allows us to generate maps of individual element.

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