Survey Indicators for Pygmy Rabbits: Temporal Trends of Burrow Systems and Pellets

Sanchez, Dana M.; Rachlow, Janet L.; Robinson, Andrew P.; Johnson, Timothy R.

doi:10.3398/064.069.0402

Cited by 26 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…We identified pellets based on size, shape, and color (Rachlow & Witham, 2004;Ulmschneider et al, 2004;Sanchez et al, 2009). Counts of fecal pellets have been used extensively to measure rabbit and hare day-use occurrences, population abundance, and activity (Forys & Humphrey, 1997;Sugimura & Yamada, 2004).…”

Section: Fecal Pellet Plotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Counts of fecal pellets have been used extensively to measure rabbit and hare day-use occurrences, population abundance, and activity (Forys & Humphrey, 1997;Sugimura & Yamada, 2004). These counts have also been used to verify the presence of pygmy rabbits (Rachlow & Witham, 2004;Ulmschneider et al, 2004;Sanchez et al, 2009). To decrease biases caused by lack of experience (Neff, 1968), the same researchers counted pellets each month, and all individuals were trained to identify each species pellet by size, shape, and color (Rachlow & Witham, 2004;Ulmschneider et al, 2004;Sanchez et al, 2009).…”

Section: Fecal Pellet Plotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We followed established protocol for locating and identifying pygmy rabbit burrows, which included walking survey routes in areas suspected to be occupied by pygmy rabbits (Ulmschneider et al, 2004). We classified burrows as used or unused based on the appearance of fecal pellets and characteristics of burrow entrances (Roberts, 2001;Rachlow & Witham, 2004;Sanchez et al, 2009). We followed methodology of Sanchez et al (2009) and considered burrows as used when they were included in the category of active or recent and as unused when they were included in the category of old or very old.…”

Section: Classifying Pygmy Rabbit Burrowsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We classified burrows as used or unused based on the appearance of fecal pellets and characteristics of burrow entrances (Roberts, 2001;Rachlow & Witham, 2004;Sanchez et al, 2009). We followed methodology of Sanchez et al (2009) and considered burrows as used when they were included in the category of active or recent and as unused when they were included in the category of old or very old. We imported all burrow locations into ArcGIS s (ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA), and then used available tools to determine the distance of all burrows from habitat edge produced by mechanical treatment of sagebrush.…”

Section: Classifying Pygmy Rabbit Burrowsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fragmentation of sagebrush communities: does an increase in habitat edge impact pygmy rabbits?

Pierce

Larsen

Flinders

et al. 2011

Animal Conservation

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Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities are ecologically critical; however, these areas currently face severe threats from alteration and reduction. Pygmy rabbits Brachylagus idahoensis are sagebrush specialists that occupy the intermountain region of the USA. Little is known concerning how fragmentation of sagebrush and an increase in habitat edge may impact pygmy rabbits. From 2004 to 2009 in Utah, USA, we tested hypotheses concerning the influences of habitat edge on pygmy rabbits. We quantified the number of active pygmy rabbit burrows in relation to distance from habitat edge. At differing distances from habitat edge, we also deployed remote cameras at burrows and counted fecal pellets to document potential increases in the number of terrestrial predators and competitors. We classified activity of 528 burrows (284 active and 244 inactive). The proportion of active burrows was lower within 100 m of habitat edge (r 2 = 0.502, P= 0.02) compared with burrows located in control areas (4100 m from habitat edge). Photographs of pygmy rabbits decreased at burrows closer to habitat edge (Po0.01). Photographs of predators increased near habitat edge, but was marginally insignificant (P= 0.07), and photographs of potential competitors [cottontail (Sylvilagus spp.), Po0.01; jackrabbit Lepus californicus, Po0.01] increased near habitat edge. Fecal pellet plots supported these patterns. Our results indicated that the proportion of active burrows and the relative abundance of pygmy rabbits were reduced near habitat edge. This reduction was associated with an increase in terrestrial predators and competitors near habitat edge. Consideration should be given to the influence of habitat edge on pygmy rabbits in order to conserve and manage this unique species.

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Section: Fecal Pellet Plotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fecal Pellet Plotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Classifying Pygmy Rabbit Burrowsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Classifying Pygmy Rabbit Burrowsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Fragmentation of sagebrush communities: does an increase in habitat edge impact pygmy rabbits?

Pierce

Larsen

Flinders

et al. 2011

Animal Conservation

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“…By understanding the relationship between burrow abundance and population abundance, researchers can save time and resources, which would normally be expended on mark-recapture studies, by merely counting animal burrows in a pre-defined area. This technique has been used with reasonable success with rodents such as Hypogeomys antimena (Young et al 2008) and Agouti paca (Beck-King et al 1999) as well as lagomorphs such as Brachylagus idahoensis (Price and Rachlow 2011;Sanchez et al 2009). However, in some rodent studies, burrow counts were a poor index of abundance with little or variable correlation to population size estimates (Gervais 2010;Severson and Plumb 1998;Van Horne et al 1997).…”

Section: Spoil Heapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology and conservation of the northern hopping-mouse and sympatric vertebrates of Groote Eylandt

Diete¹

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Effective monitoring is a critical component of wildlife management. The conservation of the enigmatic northern hopping-mouse (Notomys aquilo) has been impeded by poor understanding of the species' ecology; an issue compounded by the lack of appropriate survey methods. Within a genus of largely arid-dwelling rodents, N. aquilo is the only extant species in Australia's northern, monsoonal tropics where it is likely restricted to Groote Eylandt and a small area on the adjacent mainland. Surveys for N. aquilo have traditionally involved recording the location and abundance of indirect signs, as the species is trap-shy towards box-style traps, such as Elliott traps. One of the most important signs is the 'spoil heap' left by the construction of hopping-mouse burrows. Recent surveys for N. aquilo have relied almost entirely upon the identification of spoil heaps; however, the effectiveness of these methods has been questioned. This study aimed to fill key gaps in this knowledge by: (1) evaluating the effectiveness of spoil heap surveys for determining the presence and abundance of N. aquilo; (2) developing more-reliable survey methods for N. aquilo and sympatric vertebrates; and (3) describing the general ecology of N. aquilo with views to its conservation on Groote Eylandt.A novel use of video camera traps allowed the recording of burrow construction by N. aquilo. This confirmed that conspicuous spoil heaps are associated with N. aquilo burrows and these remain visible many months after construction is complete. However, further monitoring confirmed that the sympatric delicate mouse (Pseudomys delicatulus) constructs similar burrows to N. aquilo on Groote Eylandt and spoil heaps made by the two species cannot reliably be differentiated in field surveys. These results emphasised the pressing need for unambiguous survey methods for N. aquilo and suggested that the abundance of the species has potentially been overestimated in the past.Camera trapping and pitfall trapping were identified as possible alternative methods for monitoring N. aquilo. An experiment was conducted to determine if the rate of detection of N. aquilo and other mammals could be increased by the use of a particular bait at camera trap stations. Detection rates for N. aquilo were low and no significant effect of bait type was found for this species. However, sesame oil resulted in the equal highest number of N. aquilo detections, had better longevity, and attracted fewer non-target bandicoots than other baits trialled and, therefore, may be the most useful bait for standardised camera trapping surveys targeting N. aquilo. Trapping with three different sized pitfall traps was conducted in two different habitats over two years. The results from this study demonstrate that general fauna surveys may benefit from the use of a deep, wide pitfall trap that is effective in capturing herpetofauna as well as rare mammals such as N. aquilo. ivThe general ecology of N. aquilo was described using pitfall trapping and radio-tracking. It was found that N. a...

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DNA mini‐barcoding of leporids using noninvasive fecal DNA samples and its significance for monitoring an invasive species

Rodrigues

Saranholi

Angeloni

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Introduced in South America at the end of the 19th century, the European hare population has expanded dramatically and now represents a risk to native Brazilian forest rabbits. Monitoring the invasive Lepus europaeus and its coexistence with native Sylvilagus brasiliensis is a challenge that can be efficiently addressed by the use of molecular tools. This work describes a set of primers useful for amplifying three mini‐barcodes for the molecular identification of both invasive and native leporid species using degraded fecal DNA. In addition, tests in silico indicate that these mini‐barcodes can successfully amplify the DNA sequences of a number of leporids. These mini‐barcodes constitute a powerful tool for the monitoring and management of the invasive L. europaeus and the conservation of native rabbits.

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Survey Indicators for Pygmy Rabbits: Temporal Trends of Burrow Systems and Pellets

Cited by 26 publications

References 13 publications

Fragmentation of sagebrush communities: does an increase in habitat edge impact pygmy rabbits?

Fragmentation of sagebrush communities: does an increase in habitat edge impact pygmy rabbits?

Ecology and conservation of the northern hopping-mouse and sympatric vertebrates of Groote Eylandt

DNA mini‐barcoding of leporids using noninvasive fecal DNA samples and its significance for monitoring an invasive species

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