THE ALLURE OF LURE AND ITS IMPACT ON PERCEIVED COMMUNITY COMPOSITION WHEN MONITORING TROPICAL MAMMALIAN BIODIVERSITY
| Author(s) | Maxwell, Jeffrey | |
| Date Accessioned | 2018-09-28T17:17:54Z | |
| Date Available | 2018-09-28T17:17:54Z | |
| Publication Date | 2018-05 | |
| Abstract | Due to low detection rates of high-profile target species, e.g. large carnivores, in camera trap surveys, researchers commonly implement the use of lure or bait as an attractant. It is also common to use ancillary photos, e.g. non-target species, to study additional research questions such as prey availability or biodiversity metrics. Although attractants are widely used to increase capture rates of target species, little is known of the effect on non-target species capture rates. We evaluate if the use of bait or lure can introduce bias into non-target species capture rates and community composition metrics. We deployed baited, lured, and control camera stations within the Mamoní Valley, a tropical biodiversity corridor in the narrowest stretch of the Isthmus of Panama. Across 34 cameras and ~6 months we captured 23,965 photos of animals and identified 31 different species. This data was used to evaluate spatial and temporal trends in community composition as influenced by bait or lure use. We also measured differences in species specific probability of detection among treatment and control locations. Our findings suggest that using photos to evaluate supplemental research questions such as biodiversity or prey availability is unbiased by the use or non-use of our selected lure or bait. | en_US |
| Advisor | Kyle McCarthy | |
| Program | Wildlife Ecology and Conservation | |
| URL | http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/23864 | |
| Publisher | University of Delaware | en_US |
| Keywords | Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, biodiversity, lure | en_US |
| Title | THE ALLURE OF LURE AND ITS IMPACT ON PERCEIVED COMMUNITY COMPOSITION WHEN MONITORING TROPICAL MAMMALIAN BIODIVERSITY | en_US |
| Type | Thesis | en_US |