Finella M. E. Dawlings, Morgan Humphrey, Daniel T. Nugent, Rohan H. Clarke
{"title":"热扫描仪与聚光灯:监测受威胁小型内温器动物的新机遇","authors":"Finella M. E. Dawlings, Morgan Humphrey, Daniel T. Nugent, Rohan H. Clarke","doi":"10.1111/aec.13544","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Threatened species monitoring is challenging for small, cryptic endotherms that are most effectively detected at night. Low detectability is a challenge for monitoring programmes, resulting in low statistical power and sparse or zero-inflated datasets. To advance conservation management programmes, efforts to address this are required. In recent years thermal scanners have emerged as an effective tool for detecting small endotherms, but the diversity of available thermal tools, focal habitats and target species mean that their applicability in many key scenarios remain untested. We directly compared vehicle-mounted thermal surveys with vehicle-based spotlighting targeting small endotherms in Australian native grasslands. Our targets included both common species that occur at high densities, and species that are notoriously difficult to detect with spotlights, which may occur at very low densities. We completed paired surveys of roosting grassland birds, and nocturnally active small mammals at 22 sites, once using thermal scanners and once using spotlights. Ultimately, distance sampling was conducted across 136 km of transects. Thermal scanners facilitated greater detection distances and higher total detections for small endotherms when compared with spotlighting. Species of greatest conservation concern, the Plains-wanderer (<i>Pedionomus torquatus</i>—Pedionomidae) and Fat-tailed Dunnart (<i>Sminthopsis crassicaudata</i>—Dasyuridae) were only detected using thermal scanners. Detection distances generated for thermal scanners were reduced by higher vegetation density; however, thermal scanners continued to outperform spotlights under this scenario. Observers also detected more stationary animals and fewer birds were flushed upon detection using thermal scanners when compared with spotlighting. Thermal scanners have the potential to improve the quality of monitoring datasets by increasing detection probabilities for small endotherms. We recommend the adoption of thermal scanners as a best-practice tool for monitoring small endotherms in open grassland habitats at night, offering new opportunities to monitor endotherms where monitoring has historically been challenging, inadequate or impossible.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"49 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.13544","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Thermal scanners versus spotlighting: New opportunities for monitoring threatened small endotherms\",\"authors\":\"Finella M. E. Dawlings, Morgan Humphrey, Daniel T. Nugent, Rohan H. Clarke\",\"doi\":\"10.1111/aec.13544\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p>Threatened species monitoring is challenging for small, cryptic endotherms that are most effectively detected at night. Low detectability is a challenge for monitoring programmes, resulting in low statistical power and sparse or zero-inflated datasets. To advance conservation management programmes, efforts to address this are required. In recent years thermal scanners have emerged as an effective tool for detecting small endotherms, but the diversity of available thermal tools, focal habitats and target species mean that their applicability in many key scenarios remain untested. We directly compared vehicle-mounted thermal surveys with vehicle-based spotlighting targeting small endotherms in Australian native grasslands. Our targets included both common species that occur at high densities, and species that are notoriously difficult to detect with spotlights, which may occur at very low densities. We completed paired surveys of roosting grassland birds, and nocturnally active small mammals at 22 sites, once using thermal scanners and once using spotlights. Ultimately, distance sampling was conducted across 136 km of transects. Thermal scanners facilitated greater detection distances and higher total detections for small endotherms when compared with spotlighting. Species of greatest conservation concern, the Plains-wanderer (<i>Pedionomus torquatus</i>—Pedionomidae) and Fat-tailed Dunnart (<i>Sminthopsis crassicaudata</i>—Dasyuridae) were only detected using thermal scanners. Detection distances generated for thermal scanners were reduced by higher vegetation density; however, thermal scanners continued to outperform spotlights under this scenario. Observers also detected more stationary animals and fewer birds were flushed upon detection using thermal scanners when compared with spotlighting. Thermal scanners have the potential to improve the quality of monitoring datasets by increasing detection probabilities for small endotherms. We recommend the adoption of thermal scanners as a best-practice tool for monitoring small endotherms in open grassland habitats at night, offering new opportunities to monitor endotherms where monitoring has historically been challenging, inadequate or impossible.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":8663,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Austral Ecology\",\"volume\":\"49 5\",\"pages\":\"\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":1.6000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-05-20\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.13544\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Austral Ecology\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"93\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aec.13544\",\"RegionNum\":4,\"RegionCategory\":\"环境科学与生态学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q3\",\"JCRName\":\"ECOLOGY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Austral Ecology","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aec.13544","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Thermal scanners versus spotlighting: New opportunities for monitoring threatened small endotherms
Threatened species monitoring is challenging for small, cryptic endotherms that are most effectively detected at night. Low detectability is a challenge for monitoring programmes, resulting in low statistical power and sparse or zero-inflated datasets. To advance conservation management programmes, efforts to address this are required. In recent years thermal scanners have emerged as an effective tool for detecting small endotherms, but the diversity of available thermal tools, focal habitats and target species mean that their applicability in many key scenarios remain untested. We directly compared vehicle-mounted thermal surveys with vehicle-based spotlighting targeting small endotherms in Australian native grasslands. Our targets included both common species that occur at high densities, and species that are notoriously difficult to detect with spotlights, which may occur at very low densities. We completed paired surveys of roosting grassland birds, and nocturnally active small mammals at 22 sites, once using thermal scanners and once using spotlights. Ultimately, distance sampling was conducted across 136 km of transects. Thermal scanners facilitated greater detection distances and higher total detections for small endotherms when compared with spotlighting. Species of greatest conservation concern, the Plains-wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus—Pedionomidae) and Fat-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata—Dasyuridae) were only detected using thermal scanners. Detection distances generated for thermal scanners were reduced by higher vegetation density; however, thermal scanners continued to outperform spotlights under this scenario. Observers also detected more stationary animals and fewer birds were flushed upon detection using thermal scanners when compared with spotlighting. Thermal scanners have the potential to improve the quality of monitoring datasets by increasing detection probabilities for small endotherms. We recommend the adoption of thermal scanners as a best-practice tool for monitoring small endotherms in open grassland habitats at night, offering new opportunities to monitor endotherms where monitoring has historically been challenging, inadequate or impossible.
期刊介绍:
Austral Ecology is the premier journal for basic and applied ecology in the Southern Hemisphere. As the official Journal of The Ecological Society of Australia (ESA), Austral Ecology addresses the commonality between ecosystems in Australia and many parts of southern Africa, South America, New Zealand and Oceania. For example many species in the unique biotas of these regions share common Gondwana ancestors. ESA''s aim is to publish innovative research to encourage the sharing of information and experiences that enrich the understanding of the ecology of the Southern Hemisphere.
Austral Ecology involves an editorial board with representatives from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina. These representatives provide expert opinions, access to qualified reviewers and act as a focus for attracting a wide range of contributions from countries across the region.
Austral Ecology publishes original papers describing experimental, observational or theoretical studies on terrestrial, marine or freshwater systems, which are considered without taxonomic bias. Special thematic issues are published regularly, including symposia on the ecology of estuaries and soft sediment habitats, freshwater systems and coral reef fish.