Wildlife - Survey Methods
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- Created by: Becky_Berry
- Created on: 07-03-21 10:49
What are surveys?
- A method of gathering information from a sample of people/animals, traditionally with the intention of generalising the results to a larger population
- It is important for scientists to record the changing numbers of animals as well as where they seem to be living
- Find out data
- Change to a population because of global warming
- Advantages
- Can track a population trend
- Disadvantages
- Can be over simplified
- Can be opinion based
- Some people may not be truthful
- Limited options for
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Why do we carry out surveys on animal populations?
- Species management
- Monitoring management activities
- To be able to understand long term trends
- Is the effort working?
- Will help you determine if your management is working
- May help you identify population declines/habitat problems
- Provides a picture of the health and diversity of the area
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When carrying out a survey you need to think…
- What is my aim? What do I want to achieve? What is my target species?
- Could be varied or generalised
- Mammals? Insects? Plants? Birds? Amphibians? Reptiles?
- Carnivores? Prey species? Resident birds?
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Keep In Mind
- No survey method is 100% accurate 100% of the time
- It is a good idea to repeat surveys several times and compare the results
- Surveys must be repeatable for future surveyors to carry out
- Detailed methodology
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Methods of Sampling
- Some animals can be large – such as various mammals and therefore easy to see and count
- Many species are small or highly secretive and the surveyor depends on evidence such as tracks and signs such as:
- Direct Count
- Line Transects
- Live Trapping
- Tracks
- Droppings
- Feeding Remains
- Camera Traps
- Light Traps
- Baited Traps
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Survey Types: Direct Count
- Actually counting the animals one by one
- Species it can be used for: elephants, deer
- Advantages: easy and simple
- Disadvantages: not always accurate (human error)
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Survey Types: Line Transects
- A tape or string laid along the ground in a straight line as a guide to a sampling method used to measure the distribution of organisms. Sampling is rigorously confined to organisms that are touching the line.
- Used for: plant species, corals, species that don’t move that much
- Advantages: good for species that don’t move, simple
- Disadvantages: can miss a lot of species
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Survey Types: Live Trapping
- Traps where the animal is kept alive
- Used for: Can be used for small mammals
- Advantages:
- Can leave it overnight
- Helps find species that are hard to find
- Animal is uninjured and alive
- Disadvantages
- Stress for animal
- Can catch other species that you’re not looking for
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Survey Types: Tracks
- Signs left behind the animal that shows it has been to that location e.g., footprints
- Used for: hoofstock, big cats, otters
- Advantages: can help you find an animal or somewhere animals gather, can help you find an injured animal
- Disadvantages: hard to identify exact species between similar animals
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Survey Types: Droppings
- Used for: deer, otters, elephants
- Advantages: shows the biology of the animal (stomach type)
- Disadvantages: sometimes hard to identify
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Survey Types: Feeding Remains
- The remains left over from an animal’s meal
- Used for: badgers, foxes, larger mammals, frugivores
- Advantages
- Shows the kind of diet the animal has
- Shows the animals ability to hunt and forage for food
- Shows the animal is healthy enough to eat/hunt
- Disadvantages
- Difficult to tell what animal it is from
- Not guaranteed it is from the animal you are looking for
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Survey Types: Camera Traps
- Video footage or photographs of animals that pass by a lens that is sensitive to movement. A special camera in a protective casing set in a spot (a visible walkway with deer tracks on). When an animal walks past the camera a sensor should detect the movement and begin to record.
- Used for: Works for most larger species, including deer, big cats, wolves, pigs, can check animals when you are not around, check inside animals nests
- Advantages: can be placed in remote areas where access is difficult, human presence will not alter animal behaviour, can have night vision, can look back over footage
- Disadvantages: if the animal does not set off the camera then it won’t have its picture taken, can be broken by animals, time consuming to check footage
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Survey Types: Light Traps
- Used for: moths, animals that are sensitive to light (phototaxis species), species with transverse orientation
- Advantages:
- Draws in animals from a wide radius
- Disadvantages
- Needs power
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Survey Types: Baited Traps
- Used for: rats and mice
- Advantages
- Animals are voluntarily coming into the trap
- Disadvantages
- Can cause stress when trapped
- Can cause confusion
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