Capturing red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) on camera: A cost‐effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preference
Abstract Effective methods for monitoring animal populations are crucial for species conservation and habitat management. Motion‐activated cameras provide an affordable method for passively surveying animal presence across the landscape but have mainly been used for studying large‐bodied mammals. Th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10536 |
| _version_ | 1797648397413384192 |
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| author | Graeme Shannon Simon Valle Craig M. Shuttleworth |
| author_facet | Graeme Shannon Simon Valle Craig M. Shuttleworth |
| author_sort | Graeme Shannon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Effective methods for monitoring animal populations are crucial for species conservation and habitat management. Motion‐activated cameras provide an affordable method for passively surveying animal presence across the landscape but have mainly been used for studying large‐bodied mammals. This paper explores the relative abundance and habitat preferences of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in coniferous forests using cameras and live trapping. The study was conducted in two forests (Newborough and Pentraeth) on Anglesey, North Wales, with a total of 50 sampling locations across four habitat categories. Detailed woodland structure and composition data were gathered around each sampling location. We found a strong positive correlation between the number of individual red squirrels live trapped over 10 days with the number of camera images of squirrels recorded during a previous 5‐day period. The time interval between camera deployment and the first recorded image of a red squirrel showed a significant negative correlation with the number of individuals live trapped. Red squirrel relative abundance was negatively related to forest canopy openness, while the presence of Scots pine and increased tree species diversity were positively associated with the relative abundance of squirrels. There was also a strong site difference with lower relative abundance at Newborough compared with Pentraeth, which likely reflects the heavy thinning of mature forest at Newborough reducing tree crown connectivity. The results show that remotely activated cameras are an effective method for monitoring red squirrel populations across varying animal densities. The cameras also provided crucial information on red squirrel habitat preferences that can aid in woodland management and conservation efforts. Cameras have great potential to collect data on the population status of other small mammals, but it is essential that these methods are validated on a species‐by‐species basis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:30:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e2d16c1e9bb849cfa939de85af5ede18 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:30:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-e2d16c1e9bb849cfa939de85af5ede182023-10-27T04:40:51ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582023-10-011310n/an/a10.1002/ece3.10536Capturing red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) on camera: A cost‐effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preferenceGraeme Shannon0Simon Valle1Craig M. Shuttleworth2School of Natural Sciences Bangor University Bangor UKSchool of Natural Sciences Bangor University Bangor UKSchool of Natural Sciences Bangor University Bangor UKAbstract Effective methods for monitoring animal populations are crucial for species conservation and habitat management. Motion‐activated cameras provide an affordable method for passively surveying animal presence across the landscape but have mainly been used for studying large‐bodied mammals. This paper explores the relative abundance and habitat preferences of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in coniferous forests using cameras and live trapping. The study was conducted in two forests (Newborough and Pentraeth) on Anglesey, North Wales, with a total of 50 sampling locations across four habitat categories. Detailed woodland structure and composition data were gathered around each sampling location. We found a strong positive correlation between the number of individual red squirrels live trapped over 10 days with the number of camera images of squirrels recorded during a previous 5‐day period. The time interval between camera deployment and the first recorded image of a red squirrel showed a significant negative correlation with the number of individuals live trapped. Red squirrel relative abundance was negatively related to forest canopy openness, while the presence of Scots pine and increased tree species diversity were positively associated with the relative abundance of squirrels. There was also a strong site difference with lower relative abundance at Newborough compared with Pentraeth, which likely reflects the heavy thinning of mature forest at Newborough reducing tree crown connectivity. The results show that remotely activated cameras are an effective method for monitoring red squirrel populations across varying animal densities. The cameras also provided crucial information on red squirrel habitat preferences that can aid in woodland management and conservation efforts. Cameras have great potential to collect data on the population status of other small mammals, but it is essential that these methods are validated on a species‐by‐species basis.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10536conservationforestrypopulation surveysmall mammal ecologystudy designwildlife management |
| spellingShingle | Graeme Shannon Simon Valle Craig M. Shuttleworth Capturing red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) on camera: A cost‐effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preference Ecology and Evolution conservation forestry population survey small mammal ecology study design wildlife management |
| title | Capturing red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) on camera: A cost‐effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preference |
| title_full | Capturing red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) on camera: A cost‐effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preference |
| title_fullStr | Capturing red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) on camera: A cost‐effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preference |
| title_full_unstemmed | Capturing red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) on camera: A cost‐effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preference |
| title_short | Capturing red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) on camera: A cost‐effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preference |
| title_sort | capturing red squirrels sciurus vulgaris on camera a cost effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preference |
| topic | conservation forestry population survey small mammal ecology study design wildlife management |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10536 |
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