Wild boar effects on hair-tube sampling

Abstract

Hair tubes are one of the most effective tools for sampling small-mammal assemblages. Despite their efficiency, they can be damaged by wildlife. We quantified wildlife-induced disturbance of hair-tube sampling in the Monte Pisano mountain system in Italy. At each site we tied 2 tubes together to form a hair trap and placed them in 3 different areas. We measured disturbances by counting the number of hair traps disturbed and identified the species that caused damage with cameras. Although approximately 27% (n = 164/600) of hair traps were disturbed, 2 hair traps/site allowed us to collect data from 97% of site checks from undisturbed and retrieved hair traps. Wild boars (Sus scrofa) were attracted to hair traps by olfactory and acoustic signals and caused the most disturbances. Displaced tubes detected a similar number of hairs and number of species as undisturbed tubes; species richness estimates that include retrieved displaced tubes should provide reliable data. To avoid data loss when conducting hair-trap monitoring, we suggest using ≥2 hair traps per site.