Vertebrate survey data for ecotonal and peripheral rainforest areas of north Queensland (NERP TE 3.3, Hoskin, JCU)

This dataset consists of 546 records of vertebrate species across various sites in the rainforests and adjacent habitats of the Wet Tropics and the Eungella region. Surveys particularly targeted threatened frogs and focussed on ecotonal and peripheral rainforest areas. Each record consists of the date, species, locality name, latitude and longitude, habitat, and observer.

This is all original data, collected in the field by the listed observers. Surveys particularly targeted threatened frogs but other vertebrates recorded at that site are also included. Surveys focussed on ecotonal and peripheral rainforest areas, but core rainforest sites are also included. Each record consists of the date, species, locality name, latitude and longitude, habitat, and observer. All identifications were made by myself (Conrad Hoskin), an expert in rainforest vertebrate identification.

Methods:

Surveys were conducted at sites in the Wet Tropics and in the Eungella region (west of Mackay). Surveys focussed on ecotonal areas on the western side of the Wet Tropics and Eungella, and also peripheral rainforest areas to the north, south and west of these rainforest blocks. These areas were surveyed in order to survey habitats that are environmentally different to the core rainforest areas in the hope of discovering surviving populations of threatened frogs and other wildlife, and also, potentially, new species. The objective was also to survey these environmentally different areas for chytrid presence on frogs.

At each site a survey typically consisted of one afternoon and evening. Survey effort was two people on foot searching a stream and associated habitat. In the afternoon the effort was focussed on birds and reptiles and then at night the survey focussed on frogs and mammals. Surveys were conducted with binoculars head-torches and head-torches. Surveys were conducted around a focal point and records are typically clustered around this GPS point in the table. All identifications were made by myself (Conrad Hoskin), an expert in the identification of rainforest vertebrates. Each record consists of the date, species, locality name, latitude and longitude, habitat, and observer. Abundances were not estimated.

Limitations:

This list is not an exhaustive survey of vertebrates for these sites. The focus of the surveys was frogs and these were surveyed in detail. The records of additional taxa (reptiles, birds and mammals) were opportunistic. All surveys were on foot and by hand, with no trapping. Surveys were short (one night) because that is typically all the time required to fairly accurately survey frogs at a site. GPS points listed are typically clustered around a focal survey point. They are nonetheless fairly accurate (i.e., the individual record would have come from within about 200 m of the point listed). These are just sight records; abundances were not estimated.

Format:

NERP_eAtlas_data_1 June 2014_Conrad_Hoskin.xlsx (69 KB):

546 records (rows), with the following information for each record (7 columns): date, species, locality name, latitude, longitude, habitat, and observer.

WT_NERP-TE-3-3_Vertebrate-survey_2012-2014.shp (589 KB):

Same information as in NERP_eAtlas_data_1 June 2014_Conrad_Hoskin.xlsx but converted to a shapefile. This was created by the eAtlas team for adding into the mapping system.

Data Location:

This dataset is filed in the eAtlas enduring data repository at: data\NERP-TE\3.3_Frog-surveys

本数据集包含546条脊椎动物物种记录，覆盖湿热带地区（Wet Tropics）与尤根拉地区（Eungella）的雨林及其毗邻生境中的多个采样点。本次调查以受胁蛙类为主要目标类群，重点关注生态交错带（ecotonal）与雨林外围区域。每条记录包含采样日期、物种名称、采样点名称、纬度、经度、生境类型以及调查人员信息。

本数据集所有数据均为调查人员实地采集的原始数据。本次调查虽以受胁蛙类为核心目标，但同时也纳入了同期在采样点记录到的其他脊椎动物。调查重点覆盖生态交错带与雨林外围区域，同时也包含核心雨林采样点。所有物种鉴定均由雨林脊椎动物鉴定专家康拉德·霍斯金（Conrad Hoskin）本人完成。

## 调查方法
调查在湿热带地区与麦凯（Mackay）以西的尤根拉地区的采样点开展。调查重点覆盖湿热带地区与尤根拉地区西侧的生态交错带，以及上述雨林区块以北、以南和以西的雨林外围区域。选择上述区域开展调查，旨在探索与核心雨林生境环境特征迥异的栖息地，以期发现受胁蛙类与其他野生生物的残存种群，同时亦有发现新物种的潜在可能。此外，本次调查还旨在针对这些环境特殊的区域，开展蛙类壶菌（chytrid）感染情况的检测。

每个采样点的调查通常持续一个下午加一个晚上。调查由2名调查人员徒步开展，对溪流及其相关生境进行搜寻。下午时段重点调查鸟类与爬行动物，夜间则聚焦蛙类与哺乳动物。调查使用双筒望远镜与头灯作为工具。调查围绕一个中心点展开，因此表格中的记录GPS坐标通常聚集于该中心点附近。所有物种鉴定均由雨林脊椎动物鉴定专家康拉德·霍斯金本人完成。每条记录包含采样日期、物种名称、采样点名称、纬度、经度、生境类型以及调查人员信息，未记录种群丰度。

## 数据局限性
本数据集并非上述采样点脊椎动物的全面调查记录。本次调查以蛙类为核心目标并开展了详细采样，其余类群（爬行动物、鸟类与哺乳动物）的记录均为偶遇所得。所有调查均采用徒步徒手搜寻的方式，未使用诱捕工具。单次调查时长较短（仅一晚），因为通常仅需该时长即可较为准确地完成单个采样点的蛙类调查。表格中列出的GPS坐标通常聚集于调查中心点附近，但其精度尚可保证：单条记录对应的实际采样位置与标注坐标的距离通常不超过200米。本数据集仅包含目击记录，未估算种群丰度。

## 数据格式
1. NERP_eAtlas_data_1 June 2014_Conrad_Hoskin.xlsx（69 KB）：包含546条记录（行），每条记录包含7项信息：采样日期、物种名称、采样点名称、纬度、经度、生境类型以及调查人员。
2. WT_NERP-TE-3-3_Vertebrate-survey_2012-2014.shp（589 KB）：与上述NERP_eAtlas_data_1 June 2014_Conrad_Hoskin.xlsx包含相同信息，转换为形状文件（shapefile）格式，由eAtlas团队制作，用于接入地图系统。

## 数据存储位置
本数据集存储于eAtlas长期数据仓库中，路径为：dataNERP-TE3.3_Frog-surveys