Data from: Camera trap placement and the potential for bias due to trails and other features

Camera trapping has become an increasingly widespread tool for wildlife ecologists with large numbers of studies relying on photo capture rates or presence/absence information. It is increasingly clear that camera placement can directly impact this kind of data, yet these biases are poorly understood. We used a paired camera design to investigate the effect of small-scale habitat features on species richness estimates, and capture rate and detection probability of mammal species in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, USA. Cameras were deployed at either log features or on game trails with a paired camera at a nearby random location. Overall capture rates were significantly higher at trail and log cameras compared to their paired random cameras, and some species showed capture rate increases as high as 9.7 times greater at feature-based cameras. We recorded more species at both log (17) and trail features (15) than at their paired control sites (13 and 12 species, respectively) yet richness estimates were indistinguishable after 659 and 385 camera nights of survey effort, respectively, for log and trail features. We detected significant increases (ranging from 11-33%) in detection probability for 5 species resulting from the presence of game trails. Detection probability was also influenced by the presence of a log feature for six species. Bias was most pronounced for the three rodents investigated, where in all cases detection probability was substantially higher (24.9-38.2%) at log cameras. Our results indicate that small-scale factors, including the presence of game trails as well as other features, can have significant impacts on the frequency and probability of species detection when camera traps are employed. Significant biases may result if the presence and quality of these features are not documented and either incorporated into analytical procedures, or controlled for in study design.

搜集汇总

背景与挑战

背景概述

该数据集基于配对相机设计，研究了小规模栖息地特征（如游戏路径和日志）对哺乳动物物种检测的偏差影响，发现路径和日志相机的捕获率和检测概率显著高于随机位置，特别是啮齿动物在日志相机处的检测概率大幅提高。研究强调了相机陷阱放置位置对数据准确性的重要性，并建议在野生动物监测中控制或记录这些特征以减少偏差。