Camera traps strengthen inference about endangered beach mouse activity

Abstract

Endangered species recovery requires knowledge of species abundance, distribution, habitat preferences, and threats. Endangered beach mouse populations (Peromyscus polionotus subspp.) occur on barrier islands in Florida and Alabama. Camera traps may supplement current methods and strengthen inferences of animal activity. Between November 2020-February 2022, we conducted 140 camera surveys across 86 track tubes on Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. We used generalized linear models to explore the relationships between beach mouse detections and environmental factors. We detected beach mice on 6,397 occasions across all tubes. Detections ranged from 0 to 147 observations/survey. Our top model suggested that beach mouse detection was related to cover type with positive associations with grassland and dune compared to scrub. Detections further varied depending on islands, were negatively associated with predator detections, and increased in winter months. Our results suggest that cameras can supplement inference about vegetation associations at broader scales to complement monthly track tube surveys since detection counts are more informative than presence/absence data alone. Given that all tubes exhibited at least one observation, the camera trap network may provide a less frequent and more robust survey method relative to monthly track tube surveys. Adopting such a multifaceted approach may reduce effort and strengthen inference to inform recovery objectives and adaptive management range-wide for all listed beach mouse subspecies.