DataSheet1_Webcams as a Remote Tool for Eco-ethological Research: A Study on the Alpine Chough.docx

Methods and devices specifically created for remote animal surveys and monitoring are becoming increasingly popular and effective. However, remote devices are also widely used in our societies for different, not scientific, goals. Ski resorts in the European Alps, for instance, use webcams to share panoramic views and promote themselves in the industry of winter recreational activities. We tested preinstalled webcam effectiveness as a remote tool for eco-ethological studies. Our target species was the Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus, a social and opportunistic corvid species of high mountain environments that attends ski resorts to feed on scraps discarded by high elevation bars and restaurants. We studied the effect of the winter presence of tourists and weather conditions on flocking behaviour at ski resorts. We used flock size and time spent at the ski resort as response variables, and assessed how strongly they were related to the number of tourists and weather conditions. We analysed about 13,500 pictures taken at 10 min intervals at three ski resorts sites in the European Alps in France, Italy and Switzerland. The number of birds was very different among the three study sites. Flock size and time spent were related to the same environmental drivers, but with different effect sizes in the three areas. The daily maximum flock size and the time spent at ski resorts increased with the number of tourists and decreased with temperature at two sites out of three. We also found that the presence of fresh snow caused a decrease in the maximum flock size in all ski resorts. In conclusion, Alpine Choughs modulated their presence at the ski resorts according to human presence and weather conditions, but these responses were context-dependent. Preinstalled webcams, despite a few caveats, can therefore be successfully employed in eco-ethological research. Webcams around the world are increasing in number and represent therefore a large potential resource. If webcam companies could be engaged to make some slight adjustments, without compromising their goals, then this could offer a new way to collect eco-ethological data.

专为远程动物调查与监测而设计的手段与设备正日益受到青睐并展现出显著成效。然而，远程设备在我们的社会中亦被广泛用于实现非科学目标。例如，欧洲阿尔卑斯山脉的滑雪胜地便利用网络摄像头来分享全景视野并提升其在冬季休闲活动行业中的知名度。本研究旨在测试预置网络摄像头作为远程生态伦理学研究工具的有效性。研究对象为高山环境中的社会性、机会主义鸟类——高山喜鹊（Pyrrhocorax graculus），该物种群集于滑雪胜地以摄取由高海拔酒吧和餐厅丢弃的残羹剩饭。我们探讨了游客冬季 presence 和天气条件对滑雪胜地集群行为的影响。以集群规模和停留时间为响应变量，评估其与游客数量和天气条件的相关性。通过对法国、意大利和瑞士的三个滑雪胜地，每隔10分钟拍摄约13,500张图片进行分析，我们发现不同研究地点的鸟类数量存在显著差异。集群规模和停留时间与相同的环境驱动因素相关，但三个地区的影响程度不同。在两个研究地点中，每日最大集群规模和停留时间随游客数量增加而增长，随温度升高而降低。我们还发现，新鲜降雪的出现在所有滑雪胜地均导致最大集群规模的下降。总之，高山喜鹊根据人类 presence 和天气条件调节其在滑雪胜地的出现，但这些反应具有情境依赖性。尽管存在一些注意事项，预置网络摄像头仍可在生态伦理学研究中得到成功应用。随着全球网络摄像头数量的增加，其已成为一个巨大的潜在资源。如果网络摄像头公司能够在不损害其目标的前提下进行一些微调，则这将为收集生态伦理学数据提供一种新的途径。