A Survey of Ground-dwelling Mammals Inhabiting Forests of the South Western Slopes, New South Wales (original) (raw)
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The use of hair traps as a complementary method in mammal ecology studies
Mammalia, 2018
This study describes the use of hair traps as a complementary method to obtain samples for stable isotope analysis from medium- and large-sized mammals. We sampled three protected areas within the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Traps formed an enclosure of ~16 m2 composed of two barbed-wire strands at different heights, baited with corn, salt, fruits and cinnamon powder. Samples were identified using hair microstructure. We identified 11 species – four globally and six nationally threatened – of which 63.6% were frugivorous. We found high species richness with a small sampling effort, indicating that hair traps can prove useful for isotopic ecology and other applied ecological studies.
Effectiveness of different types of hair traps for brown bear research and monitoring
PLOS ONE, 2017
Non-invasive sampling by hair-trapping is increasingly used worldwide in wildlife research. Despite this rise and the potential of hair samples for ecology and conservation studies, the relative performance of hair collection devices has been rarely tested. Here, we compare the effectiveness of five types of hair traps for brown bears Ursus arctos in the Carpathian Mountains (SE Poland) and test the effects of trap type, season, number of days elapsed since trap installation and trap features on the trapping success in order to provide recommendations for optimal sampling in future studies. The trap types were corral, path-trap, "smola"(beechwood tar) tree-trap, turpentine tree-trap and natural rub. In 2010, we collected 858 hair samples during 2330 inspections of 175 hair traps and found that the most effective traps were smola tree-traps (mean percentage of successful inspections ± SD: 30.2% ± 26.0) and natural rubs (50.8% ± 16.7). Based on this finding, over the following 2 years we focused on 24 smola tree-traps and eight natural rubs. During this long-term survey (2010-2012, 969 inspections, 1322 samples collected) the trapping success increased with time and smola tree-traps achieved similar effectiveness to natural rubs (45.5% ± 29.7 and 45.9 ± 23.4, respectively). We show that when baiting smola tree-traps ten weeks prior to research or monitoring, sampling effectiveness can reach up to 30%. Taking into account the logistical and methodological constraints associated with detecting and using natural rubs for a proper survey design, we recommend using smola tree-traps baited in advance for hair sampling in wildlife studies.
More Hair than Wit: A Review on Carnivore Related Hair Collecting Methods
2016
Monitoring of presence or estimation of density of carnivores using invasive or disruptive methods, like hunting, life-catching or visual observation can bias research results and might be controversial when studying threatened species. Therefore, non-invasive approaches become increasingly used in the last few decades. Hair collection is one among many useful indirect methods. Knowledge on efficient hair-traps on European carnivore species is limited. Yet, hair-traps have been reported as huge success when tested in enclosures but often are challenging to use in natural environments. Our aim was to compile a comprehensive literature review on hair traps and attractants in order to find out what techniques could be used by field experts. We have found that practical application of some techniques might be hard when studying edge populations but with hair-collection methods additional information can be gathered relatively easily in species core area where animals are abundant. We ha...
Noninvasive sampling of mountain lion hair using modified foothold traps
Wildlife Society Bulletin, 2022
Although genetic analysis is an increasingly affordable option for wildlife studies, obtaining high-quality samples from cryptic carnivores remains difficult. To address this, we modified and tested 20.3-cm (8-inch) foot snares in unbaited trail sets for noninvasive collection of hair samples from mountain lions (Puma concolor). We deployed 22 hair traps in the Black Range in southern New Mexico from May to November 2017, monitored by remote cameras, at 66 locations for 1,618 trap nights (X= 24.5 nights, SD = 7.2 nights). Photos indicated 20 instances of mountain lions passing within 2 m of a hair trap and we collected 7 mountain lion hair samples, which averaged >20 hairs/sample. All samples contained hair with visible roots and were identifiable to species; 6 of the 7 (85.7%) yielded sufficient DNA for individual identification. We attributed failure to obtain samples to 3 primary causes: individual trap saturation (2 instances), trap failure (2 instances), and non-trigger events (9 instances). Black bears (Ursus americanus) and heavy rains were the primary sources of disturbance to hair trap sets, contributing to individual trap saturation and trap failure. We speculate that low trigger rates were associated with pan tension having been set too high in the first month of the study, as well as disturbance of hair traps or leading foot placements by nontarget species. We discuss strategies to increase hair sample collection rates, including seasonal use of hair traps, more selective placement on the landscape, and altering physical attributes of the hair traps. The quality of hair samples we collected and subsequent amplification rates indicated that, along with proper deployment strategies, hair traps are a viable tool for noninvasively collecting genetic material for individual identification of mountain lions and other elusive species.
Techniques and practices of Australian pest animal trappers
Pacific Conservation Biology, 2019
We conducted a survey of trappers to gather baseline information on the trapping methods and humane practices used in Australia, the types of traps being used, and the attitudes of trappers. Respondents indicated that they mostly trapped wild dogs and foxes with feral cats as by-catch; rabbits were trapped to a lesser degree. Respondents favoured Jake and Victor #3 traps for the capture of wild dogs. Victor #1.5, #3 and Jake traps were also favoured for capturing foxes and feral cats. Although some trappers placed up to four traps together in a set, a single trap per set was the most commonly reported approach. Trap maintenance varied between individuals but most said they checked traps for problems during deployment. Respondents preferred the term ‘rubber jawed traps’ over the plethora of other synonyms in current use. All respondents were cognisant of animal welfare requirements but their acceptance and adoption of related trapping methods varied. Most did not believe that licensi...
Validation of a noninvasive hair trapping method for extractive-foraging primates
Folia Primatologica, 2018
Hair is a useful source of biological information. For example, the bulb can be a source of high-quality genetic material, whereas the shaft can be useful for measuring heavy metals and some hormones, such as cortisol. The stable isotope composition of hair is another valuable source of biological information. Consequently, noninvasive methods of hair sampling have become important research tools. Several hair-trapping methods have been developed for use on mammals, but these are rarely deployed on primates in part because their travel patterns can be difficult to predict and because many species are averse to novel objects in their environments. Yet if a species has a natural propensity to envision, manipulate, and withdraw extractable food resources, then a baited receptacle lined with double-sided tape may prove successful as a hair trap. Recently, researchers demonstrated the success of such a contraption with tufted capuchins, a Neotropical monkey species with a high degree of somatosensory intelligence and a proclivity for extractive foraging. Here, we replicate this method in a population of tool-using long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). Our trials validate the effectiveness of the method, suggesting that it is suitable for long-tailed macaques and other extractive-foraging primates.
An optimized hair trap for non-invasive genetic studies of small cryptic mammals
European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2011
As sample quality and quantity is a crucial factor in non-invasive genetics, we focused on the improvement of sampling efficiency of glue hair traps. We invented an optimized hair trap with moveable parts which enhanced sampling of high-quality genetic material. With the aid of the optimized hair trap, we were able to remotely pluck a sufficient amount of hair bulbs from our study animal the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) with a trapping success of 49.3% after one survey night. The number of collected hairs with bulbs ranged between 1 and 50, with an average of 20.7±14.8. Subsequently, the use of the hair trap in combination with a simplified laboratory routine allowed us to amplify species-specific microsatellites with an amplification success of 96.2% and ADO of 4.6%. This optimized trap may find usage for species identification or could be used as an instrument for long-term genetic monitoring of mammal populations.
Live trapping of small terrestrial mammals was carried out in a mature fir-beech forest. Influence of trap type, bait type and frequency of checks on trapping effectiveness and mortality was examined. Two dominant rodent species Apodemus flavicollis and Myodes glareolus were used as model animals. The mean effectiveness of the Chmela-type live traps reached 37.27%. On the contrary, the effectiveness of pitfalls was only 0.56%. An extremely low number of shrews was captured using both trap types. Trapping efficiency was similar for dry cat food and rolled oats, regardless of the rodent species. Apodemus flavicollis showed a significant difference in trapping frequency between day and night. The activity of Myodes glareolus was more even. Both species showed a higher mean number of individuals captured from sunset to midnight than from midnight to sunrise. Mortality of the model species was 5-17 times lower when carrying out four checks per day in comparison to the standard number of two checks.