Use of track transects to measure the relative occurrence of some boreal mammals in uncut forest and regeneration stands

Abstract

Tracks of marten (Martes americana), lynx (Felis lynx), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), ermine (Mustela erminea), snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), and red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) were censused from 1980 to 1985 on 1-km transects in uncut stands and on eight sites that had been clear-cut between 1 and 33 years ago, in boreal mixedwood habitat near Manitouwadge, Ontario. Marten tracks were more common in uncut areas than in younger stands. Lynx tracks were most abundant on sites that were logged 20–30 years ago and were absent in uncut areas and stands less than 5 years old. Counts of red fox tracks were lowest in uncut stands and showed no consistent pattern among years of our survey with respect to stand age in second-growth forest. Hare tracks were most abundant in 20- and 30-year-old stands, and least abundant in stands less than 5 years old. Red squirrels were most common in uncut areas, but similar high values were also found in 20- and 30-year-old sites during 3 years when populations in the area were depressed. No selection of stands by age was seen for ermine. Numbers of tracks were significantly correlated with live captures of marten, hare, and red squirrels. Our results suggested that track abundance can be used as an index of habitat preferences and population trends. Highest counts were achieved in December for marten, red squirrel, and ermine, likely as a result of several types of over-winter mortality and inactivity in cold weather, which may have reduced counts in January and March. As a result of high and nonhomogeneous variance among transects and years, nonparametric statistical analysis was required. Transect length for fox and lynx should be substantially longer than 1 km (probably 3–5 km) to avoid numerous zero results.

Registros de mamíferos de maior porte na Reserva Florestal do Morro Grande, São Paulo

“…A metodologia de amostragem em transecto linear, descrita em Buckland et al (1993) foi empregada devido à sua eficiência comprovada, em especial, para espécies arborícolas como primatas (Peres 1999), mas também pela sua ampla utilização para estimar abundância e densidade de espécies em vários estudos com mamíferos (Emmous 1984, Thompson et al 1988, Chiarello 1999, 2000, Cullen Jr. et al 2000, 2001, Carrillo et al 2000.…”

Estimating clutch frequency in the sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea using stopover duration

“…number of tracks, burrows, feces, or calls per unit area) are commonly used in wildlife studies, particularly in studies with terrestrial vertebrates (Thompson et al 1989, Becker et al 1998, Schwarz & Seber 1999, Wilson & Delahay 2000, Altrichter & Boaglio 2004. These indices assume a fixed level of search effort that allows the researcher to locate the same proportion of the population.…”

Ecology and conservation of lynx in the United States

“…Much has been written on this subject (e.g., Goldsmith 1990; Mulder et al 1999), but the details are beyond the scope of this chapter. Because a primary objective of management actions will be to enhance habitat conditions for both lynx and snowshoe hares, monitoring of hare populations with pellet transects (e.g., ) and lynx populations with snowtracking or other techniques (e.g., Thompson et al 1981), will likely be critical components of monitoring strategies. Lastly, we emphasize that effective monitoring programs must include pre-defined criteria for determining how to interpret monitoring results, and what actions to take when monitoring indicates the need to modify management direction.…”