المؤلفون: McKaughan J.E.T., Stephens P.A., Lucas C., Guichard-Kruger N., Guichard-Kruger F., Hill R.A.

المصدر: Scientific Reports, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2024)

مصطلحات موضوعية: Habitat use, Population density, Occupancy models, Human-wildlife conflict, Camera trap, Panthera pardus, Medicine, Science

الوصف: Abstract Protected areas are traditionally the foundation of conservation strategy, but land not formally protected is of particular importance for the conservation of large carnivores because of their typically wide-ranging nature. In South Africa, leopard (Panthera pardus) population decreases are thought to be occurring in areas of human development and intense negative interactions, but research is biased towards protected areas, with quantitative information on population sizes and trends in non-protected areas severely lacking. Using Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture and occupancy techniques including 10 environmental and anthropogenic covariates, we analysed camera trap data from commercial farmland in South Africa where negative human-wildlife interactions are reported to be high. Our findings demonstrate that leopards persist at a moderate density (2.21 /100 km2) and exhibit signs of avoidance from areas where lethal control measures are implemented. This suggests leopards have the potential to navigate mixed mosaic landscapes effectively, enhancing their chances of long-term survival and coexistence with humans. Mixed mosaics of agriculture that include crops, game and livestock farming should be encouraged and, providing lethal control is not ubiquitous in the landscape, chains of safer spaces should permit vital landscape connectivity. However, continuing to promote non-lethal mitigation techniques remains vital.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/01fc3d0f4212400db13520774b10601bTest

المؤلفون: McKaughan, J.E.T., Stephens, P.A., Hill, R.A.

المصدر: Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 2023, Vol.4(2), pp.e12229 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

الوصف: 1. Mesocarnivores are of particular interest in wildlife management. Their adaptability makes them a focus of public attention globally, as negative interactions with people occur regularly, but their importance to wider ecosystem function is increasingly apparent. Robust methods for estimating mesocarnivore densities are essential for long-term management strategies. Estimating densities of unmarked populations remains challenging, but new methods, based on camera trapping, have recently become available and require field testing. 2. We conducted two camera trap surveys over two 200km2 areas of commercial farmland in South Africa. One survey sampled 25 locations, while the second used a migrating grid to sample 59 locations; total sampling effort was similar across the two surveys. We applied distance sampling with camera traps (CTDS), developing a method to estimate animal distances by applying a distance measurement overlay grid to camera trap images. 3. We aimed to establish meaningful density estimates of the mesocarnivore guild and evaluate CTDS’s suitability for broader use with these types of species. We obtained density estimates for four carnivores, African civet (Civettictis civetta), black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea) and caracal (Caracal caracal), providing valuable insight into their status in commercial farmland. Imprecision in the estimates was almost exclusively due to encounter rate variance, which was not reduced with the migrating camera grid. 4. We explored the sensitivity of our results to assumptions determining the value of the 'snapshot interval', demonstrating that careful selection of this parameter is vital to ensuring reliable estimates when using rapid-fire photo burst modes. 5. CTDS can provide useful density estimates for mesocarnivores, but future studies should aim to maximise precision and reliability by increasing sampling locations. More studies are required in areas with known densities to promote confidence in accuracy.

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: dro:38188; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38188Test/; https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12229Test; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38188/1/38188AAM.pdfTest; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38188/2/38188VoR.pdfTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12229Test
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38188Test/
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38188/1/38188AAM.pdfTest
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38188/2/38188VoR.pdfTest

المؤلفون: Beatham, S.E., Coats, J., Stephens, P.A., Massei, G.

المصدر: Wildlife Research, 2023 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

الوصف: Context: Invasive species negatively affect natural communities and human activities. The grey squirrel is an invasive species in the UK, causing damage to forestry and the decline of the native red squirrel. Oral contraceptives have the potential to reduce numbers of grey squirrels; however, to be effective a sufficient proportion of a population must consume a bait containing contraceptives. Aims: The objective of this study was to estimate the efficacy of delivering baits via feeders to grey squirrels and to determine the factors most important to bait uptake. Methods: Bait uptake was measured using the bait marker Rhodamine B mixed with 100% hazelnut butter and delivered to grey squirrels via purpose-designed feeders. Different concentrations of Rhodamine B were first trialled on captive grey squirrels for their palatability and detectability in the hair. Bait-uptake field trials were then conducted in 10 UK woodlands by using the preferred concentration. Key results: In captive trials, it was found that a concentration of 0.18% Rhodamine B mixed in hazelnut butter was palatable to grey squirrels and that individuals needed to consume only small amounts (<5 g) for it to be detected in the flank hair by using an ultraviolet microscope. It was possible to deliver bait to the majority of grey squirrels in 6 of 10 woods within 4 days. Season, feeder density and squirrel density were important factors affecting bait uptake, with more squirrels consuming bait in summer than in winter and from three feeders per hectare rather than from one per hectare. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that baits delivered via feeders can target the majority of grey squirrels in woodland environments. Implications: Oral contraceptives could offer a cost-effective tool to reduce numbers of grey squirrels across the UK landscape and mitigate the negative impacts they have on native wildlife and tree health.

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: dro:38248; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38248Test/; https://doi.org/10.1071/WR22159Test; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38248/1/38248AAM.pdfTest; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38248/2/38248VoR.pdfTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1071/WR22159Test
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38248Test/
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38248/1/38248AAM.pdfTest
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/38248/2/38248VoR.pdfTest

المؤلفون: Casaer, J., Jansen, P., Roy, D., Stephens, P.A., Blanco‐Aguiar, J.A., Liefting, Y., Vicente, J., Smith, G.C., ENETWILD consortium

مصطلحات موضوعية: Ecology and Environment, Computer Science, Data and Information

الوصف: ENETWILD consortium with the collaboration of the MammalNet project2 has promoted some informatic tools to improve the data collection of wildlife distribution and abundance: iMammalia; MammalWeb and Agouti. Here we update the activities in relation to (i) the new languages implemented; (ii) new functionalities, (iii) and the improvement and testing of the artificial intelligence module to identify species in Agouti. The iMammalia app is now available in 17 languages with at least two more to be added soon. MammalWeb is available in six languages with more to be added soon. Agouti is available in seven languages. iMammalia automates data transfer to the global database GBIF, and MammalWeb will consider a similar approach in the near future. Technical improvements were made to meet the needs of iMammalia as a carcass reporting app for wild boar, which will favour early awareness in case of ASF outbreak. As for density estimation through camera trapping, processing of big number of images by hand is tedious, and to facilitate the annotation process Agouti offers and has continuously improved automatic species recognition using Artificial Intelligence (AI). We summarize several topics for the further development of Agouti.

وصف الملف: text

العلاقة: https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/535851/1/N535851JA.pdfTest; Casaer, J.; Jansen, P.; Roy, D. orcid:0000-0002-5147-0331; Stephens, P.A.; Blanco‐Aguiar, J.A.; Liefting, Y.; Vicente, J.; Smith, G.C.; ENETWILD consortium, . 2023 Improvement of information technology tools to collect, process and analyse data on wildlife population. EFSA Supporting Publications, 20 (8), 8217E. 22, pp. https://doi.org/10.2903/sp.efsa.2023.EN-8217Test

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.2903/sp.efsa.2023.EN-8217Test
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/535851Test/
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/535851/1/N535851JA.pdfTest

المؤلفون: Mason, S.S., Hill, R.A., Whittingham, M.J., Cokill, J., Smith, G.C., Stephens, P.A.

المصدر: Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 2022, Vol.8(5), pp.717-730 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

الوصف: Accurate and precise density estimates are crucial for effective species management and conservation. However, efficient monitoring of mammal densities over large spatial and temporal scales is challenging. In the United Kingdom, published density estimates for many mammals, including species considered to be common, are imprecise. Camera trap distance sampling (CTDS) can estimate densities of multiple species at a time and has been used successfully in a small number of studies. However, CTDS has typically been used over relatively homogeneous landscapes, often over large time scales, making monitoring changes (by repeating surveys) difficult. In this study, we deployed camera traps at 109 sites across an area of 2725 km2 of varied habitat in North-East England, United Kingdom. The 4-month survey generated 51 447 photos of wild mammal species. Data were sufficient for us to use CTDS to estimate the densities of eight mammal species across the whole-survey area and within four specific habitats. Both survey-wide and habitat-specific density estimates largely fell within previously published density ranges and our estimates were amongst the most precise produced for these species to date. Lower precision for some species was typically due to animals being missed by the camera at certain distances, highlighting the need for careful consideration of practical and methodological decisions, such as how high to set cameras and where to left-truncate data. Although CTDS is a promising methodology for determining densities of multiple species from one survey, species-specific decisions are still required and these cannot always be generalized across species types and locations. Taking the United Kingdom as a case study, our study highlights the potential for CTDS to be used on a national scale, although the scale of the task suggests that it would need to be integrated with a citizen science approach.

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: dro:36240; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/36240Test/; https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.272Test; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/36240/2/36240VoR.pdfTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.272Test
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/36240Test/
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/36240/2/36240VoR.pdfTest

المؤلفون: Marion, S., Demšar, U., Davies, A.L., Stephens, P.A., Irvine, R.J., Long, J.A.

المصدر: Journal of Zoology, 2022, Vol.317(4), pp.249-261 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

الوصف: With increasing levels of outdoor recreation activities, consequences for wildlife through interactions with recreationists are highly variable. Behavioural changes in wildlife are one potential consequence of interactions with outdoor recreationists. In ungulate populations, vigilance and flight responses are well-known antipredator behaviours. An increase in their level indicates a more intense stress level which, ultimately, can have consequences for animal fitness. In Scotland, the geographical distribution of red deer (Cervus elaphus) overlaps greatly with areas used for popular outdoor activities such as hill walking. In this research, we study red deer time allocation, vigilance, and flight behaviours near a popular hiking path using camera traps. We positioned the cameras in transects at different distances (25m, 75m and 150m) from the path and recorded hiking activity using an automated people counter. Red deer behaviour was categorized from photo analysis as (1) no response (e.g., feeding, resting), (2) vigilant (i.e., upright head position), and (3) flight response. We also investigated demographic variables (group size, sex) and the direction of red deer movement relative to the trail. We used generalised linear mixed models to analyse behaviour in relation to the distance from the hiking track, hiking activity, time of the day, demographic, and environmental variables. We did not find an increase in vigilance or flight behaviour in relation to the distance from the hiking path or the hiking activity. These results suggest that red deer, in our study area, are habituated to the presence of hikers and may spatially avoid areas close to the hiking path instead of displaying cost-intensive behaviour (i.e., flight or vigilance behaviour).

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: dro:35620; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35620Test/; https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12976Test; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35620/1/35620.pdfTest; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35620/3/35620VoR.pdfTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12976Test
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35620Test/
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35620/1/35620.pdfTest
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35620/3/35620VoR.pdfTest

المؤلفون: Marion, S., Demšar, U., Davies, A.L., Stephens, P.A., Irvine, R.J., Long, J.A.

المصدر: European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2022, Vol.68(3), pp.36 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

الوصف: Anthropogenic activities, such as outdoor recreation, have the potential to change complex interactions between wildlife and livestock, with further consequences for the management of both animals, the environment, and disease transmission. We present the interaction amongst wildlife, livestock, and outdoor recreationists as a three-way interaction. Little is known about how recreational activities alter the interaction between herbivores in areas extensively used of recreational purposes. We investigate how hiking activity affects spatio-temporal co-occurrence between domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and red deer (Cervus elaphus). We used camera traps to capture the spatio-temporal distribution of red deer and sheep at varying distances from a popular hiking trail. We used the distance from the hiking path as a proxy of hiking activity. We used generalized linear models to investigate the spatial distribution of sheep and deer. We analysed the activity patterns of sheep and deer and then calculated their coefficients of temporal overlap for each camera trap location using a non-parametric kernel density estimation method. We compared these coefficients in relation to the distance from the hiking path. Finally, we used a generalized linear mixed-model to investigate which factors influence the spatio-temporal succession between deer and sheep. We do not find that sheep and red deer spatially avoid each other, but we did find that sheep temporally avoid red deer, while red deer do not appear to temporally avoid sheep. The coefficient of temporal overlap varied with distance from the hiking trail, with stronger temporal co-occurrence at greater distances from the hiking trail. Red deer were more likely to be detected further from the path during the day, which increased the temporal overlap with sheep in these areas. This suggests that hiking pressure influences spatio-temporal interactions between sheep and deer, leading to greater temporal overlap in areas further from the hiking path due to red deer spatial ...

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: dro:35844; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35844Test/; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-022-01584-9Test; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35844/1/35844.pdfTest; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35844/2/35844VoR.pdfTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-022-01584-9Test
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35844Test/
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35844/1/35844.pdfTest
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35844/2/35844VoR.pdfTest

المؤلفون: O'Neill, H.M., Twiss, S.D., Stephens, P.A., Mason, T.H.E., Ryrholm, N., Burman, J.

المصدر: Oecologia, 2022, Vol.198(2), pp.531-542 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

الوصف: Ecosystem engineers affect other organisms by creating, maintaining or modifying habitats, potentially supporting species of conservation concern. However, it is important to consider these interactions alongside non-engineering trophic pathways. We investigated the relative importance of trophic and non-trophic effects of an ecosystem engineer, red deer, on a locally rare moth, the transparent burnet ( Zygaena purpuralis ). This species requires specific microhabitat conditions, including the foodplant, thyme, and bare soil for egg-laying. The relative importance of grazing (i.e., trophic effect of modifying microhabitat) and trampling (i.e., non-trophic effect of exposing bare soil) by red deer on transparent burnet abundance are unknown. We tested for these effects using a novel method of placing pheromone-baited funnel traps in the field. Imago abundance throughout the flight season was related to plant composition, diversity and structure at various scales around each trap. Indirect effects of red deer activity were accounted for by testing red deer pellet and trail presence against imago abundance. Imago abundance was positively associated with thyme and plant diversity, whilst negatively associated with velvet grass and heather species cover. The presence of red deer pellets and trails were positively associated with imago abundance. The use of these sites by red deer aids the transparent burnet population via appropriate levels of grazing and the provision of a key habitat condition, bare soil, in the form of deer trails. This study shows that understanding how both trophic and non-trophic interactions affect the abundance of a species provides valuable insights regarding conservation objectives.

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: dro:35329; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35329Test/; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-021-05100-9Test; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35329/1/35329.pdfTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-021-05100-9Test
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35329Test/
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/35329/1/35329.pdfTest

المؤلفون: Beatham, S.E., Goodwin, D., Coats, J., Stephens, P.A., Massei, G.

المصدر: Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 2021, Vol.2(2), pp.e12081 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

الوصف: 1. Rodents and other small mammals cause an increasing number of negative economic and environmental impacts worldwide. In the UK, the non-native grey squirrel has a significant impact on the forestry industry and has caused the decline of the native red squirrel. 2. Baits are used to deliver biocides and contraceptives to reduce overabundant wildlife populations and as vehicles for vaccines to control disease outbreaks. Bait-delivered contraceptives are also being developed to manage grey squirrel populations in the UK. The effectiveness of bait-delivered drugs on wildlife populations depends on the amount of bait consumed by individuals over time; therefore, it is important to understand individual level bait uptake in order to optimise delivery methods. 3. Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags are increasingly used to mark and monitor animal behaviour as they are cost-effective, have minimal negative welfare impacts and have a lower tag loss rate than external tags, particularly in small animals. 4. The aim of this study was to design and test a novel bait hopper equipped with a PIT-tag reader and bait weighing device, to record bait uptake by individual grey squirrels for optimising the delivery of a contraceptive bait. The hopper was designed to overcome some of the limitations of traditional PIT-tag systems, by improving battery life and the quality and quantity of data collected in the field. 5. In captive trials, the hopper proved to be highly effective at recording feeding visits by squirrels, as 95% of the visits could be attributed to a PIT-tag record. The hoppers measured the amount of bait removed per feeding visit to an accuracy of 0.1 g, with 97% of the bait taken from six hoppers attributed to a PIT-tag ID. In a field trial, the hoppers were effective at recording the feeding visits by grey squirrels in two woods, with 47 of the 51 PIT-tagged grey squirrels entering the hoppers. 6. The adaptability of the hopper design means that it has wider applications for wildlife management; in ...

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: dro:32994; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/32994Test/; https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12081Test; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/32994/1/32994.pdfTest; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/32994/2/32994VoR.pdfTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12081Test
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/32994Test/
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/32994/1/32994.pdfTest
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/32994/2/32994VoR.pdfTest

المؤلفون: Dickinson, E.R., Stephens, P.A., Marks, N.J., Wilson, R.P., Scantlebury, D.M

المصدر: Animal Biotelemetry, 2021, Vol.9, pp.47 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

الوصف: The energy used by animals is influenced by intrinsic (e.g. physiological) and extrinsic (e.g. environmental) factors. Accelerometers within biologging devices have proven useful for assessing energy expenditures and their behavioural context in free-ranging animals. However, certain assumptions are frequently made when acceleration is used as a proxy for energy expenditure, with factors, such as environmental variation (e.g. ambient temperature or slope of terrain), seldom accounted for. To determine the possible interactions between behaviour, energy expenditure and the environment (ambient temperature and terrain slope), the rate of oxygen consumption (V̇O2) was measured in pygmy goats (Capra hircus aegarus) using open-flow indirect calorimetry. The effect of temperature (9.7 to 31.5˚C) on resting energy expenditure was measured. The relationship between V̇O2 and dynamic body acceleration (DBA) was measured at different walking speeds (0.8 to 3.0 km.h-1) and on different inclines (0, +15˚, -15˚). The daily behaviour of individuals was measured in two enclosures: enclosure A (level terrain during summer) and enclosure B (sloped terrain during winter) and per diem energy expenditures of behaviours estimated using behaviour, DBA, temperature, terrain slope and V̇O2. During rest, energy expenditure increased below 22˚C and above 30.5˚C. V̇O2 (ml.min-1) increased with DBA when walking on the level. Walking uphill (+15˚) increased energetic costs three-fold, whereas walking downhill (-15˚) increased energetic costs by one third. Based on these results, although activity levels were higher in animals in enclosure A during summer, energy expenditure was found to be significantly higher in the sloped enclosure B in winter (means of enclosures A and B: 485.3 ± 103.6 kJ.day-1 and 744.5 ± 132.4 kJ.day-1). We show that it is essential to account for extrinsic factors when calculating animal energy budgets. Our estimates of the impacts of extrinsic factors should be applicable to other free ranging ungulates.

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: dro:34724; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/34724Test/; https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-021-00269-5Test; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/34724/1/34724.pdfTest; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/34724/2/34724VoR.pdfTest

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-021-00269-5Test
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/34724Test/
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/34724/1/34724.pdfTest
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/34724/2/34724VoR.pdfTest