Telemetry of the lizard species Gambelia sila at Carrizo Plain National Monument

At Carrizo National Monument, California, USA (35.19140N, 119.79290W) within the San Joaquin Desert, a 5 km2 was identified for ecological research. This site was comprised of a foundation shrub species Mormon tea, Ephedra californica, other mixed annual and perennial vegetation, and was occupied by the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, Gambelia sila. For three years from 2016-2018, up to 30 individual lizards were tracked using telemetry each summer when this species was primarily active. Small VHF radio transmitters were attached to individuals (Holohil model BD‐2, frequency 151–152 MHz) and were relocated using a 3‐element Yagi antenna with a Model R‐100 telemetry receiver (Communications Specialists, Inc., Orange, CA, USA). Each instance was geotagged to within 5m, and specific ecological elements of habitat including shrub or open canopy microsites and micro-topography were recorded. A total of 3553 relocations were recorded, and only 6 outlier relocation data points outside the 5km2 study area were excluded. At each sampling instance, the association of the individual animal was also coded as shrub or open defined as within 5 m of a visible shrub estimated using a laser rangefinder - Bushnell Outdoor Products, Overland Park, KS, USA and as above or belowground.

在美国加利福尼亚州圣华金沙漠（San Joaquin Desert）内的卡里佐国家纪念地（Carrizo National Monument，坐标35.19140°N，119.79290°W），划定了一块面积5平方千米的研究地块用于生态学研究。该地块的优势灌木物种为加利福尼亚麻黄（Ephedra californica，俗称摩门茶（Mormon tea）），伴生有多种一年生与多年生草本植被，同时是钝鼻豹蜥（Gambelia sila）的栖息生境。2016至2018年的三年间，每年夏季该物种的主要活动期，研究人员通过无线电遥测（telemetry）技术对最多30只蜥蜴个体进行追踪。研究人员将小型甚高频（VHF）无线电发射器（Holohil BD-2型，工作频率151–152 MHz）固定于蜥蜴个体体表，并使用3单元八木天线（Yagi antenna）与R-100型遥测接收机（Communications Specialists, Inc.，美国加利福尼亚州奥兰治市）完成位置复测。每一次位置复测均进行地理坐标标记（geotagged），定位精度不超过5米，同时记录生境的具体生态要素，包括灌木冠层或开阔冠层微生境（microsites）以及微地形（micro-topography）特征。本次研究累计记录3553次位置复测数据，仅剔除了6处位于5平方千米研究地块之外的异常值（outlier）定位点。在每一次采样过程中，研究人员同时对个体蜥蜴的生境关联类型进行编码分类：以激光测距仪（laser rangefinder，Bushnell Outdoor Products，美国堪萨斯州欧弗兰帕克市）测量得到的、距离可见灌木5米以内的区域定义为"灌木周边"，其余区域则为"开阔区域"；此外还记录个体所处位置为地表以上或地下。