An Alternative Field Technique for Estimating Diversity of Small-Mammal Populations

Glennon, Michale J.; Porter, William F.; Demers, Charlotte L.

doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0734:aaftfe>2.0.co;2

Cited by 46 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous track plate studies monitoring rodents have primarily been conducted in undisturbed (Brown 1969; Connors et al 2005; Drennan et al 1998; Glennon et al 2002; Nams and Gillis 2003; Sheppe 1965; Sheppe 1967; Taylor and Raphael 1988) or rural environments (Lord 1983; Lord et al 1971; Quy et al 1993). Studies in Mexico (Lord 1983) and Lao PDR (Promkerd et al 2008) at the municipal and village level, respectively, are rare examples using track plates in urban settings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, previous studies using track plates reported only rodent paw print marks (Brown 1969; Connors et al 2005; Glennon et al 2002; Nams and Gillis 2003; Quy et al 1994; Quy et al 1993) and evaluated changes in rat populations at large spatial scale, which limited the applicability of these findings to local population dynamics and rodent control. Methodological limitations in quantification (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A comparative assessment of track plates to quantify fine scale variations in the relative abundance of Norway rats in urban slums

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) living in urban environments are a critical public health and economic problem, particularly in urban slums where residents are at a higher risk for rat borne diseases, yet convenient methods to quantitatively assess population sizes are lacking. We evaluated track plates as a method to determine rat distribution and relative abundance in a complex urban slum environment by correlating the presence and intensity of rat-specific marks on track plates with findings from rat infestation surveys and trapping of rats to population exhaustion. To integrate the zero-inflated track plate data we developed a two-component mixture model with one binary and one censored continuous component. Track plate mark-intensity was highly correlated with signs of rodent infestation (all coefficients between 0.61 and 0.79 and all p-values < 0.05). Moreover, the mean level of pre-trapping rat-mark intensity on plates was significantly associated with the number of rats captured subsequently (Odds ratio1.38; 95% CI 1.19-1.61) and declined significantly following trapping (Odds ratio 0.86; 95% CI 0.78-0.95). Track plates provided robust proxy measurements of rat abundance and distribution and detected rat presence even when populations appeared ‘trapped out’. Tracking plates are relatively easy and inexpensive methods that can be used to intensively sample settings such as urban slums, where traditional trapping or mark-recapture studies are impossible to implement, and therefore the results can inform and assess the impact of targeted urban rodent control campaigns.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative assessment of track plates to quantify fine scale variations in the relative abundance of Norway rats in urban slums

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We calculated a track-plate index by dividing the number of track-plate detections (RT) per unit time by number of track plates (TP) (Crooks 2002, Dijak and Thompson 2000, Drennan et al 1998, Glennon et al 2002, Lenth et al 2008 Delahay 2001) on a site and seasonal basis. Index values between year, season, and study site (Gentry and Vierling 2007) were compared using factorial ANOVA (Zar 1999).…”

Section: Prey Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prey Selection by Three Mesopredators that are Thought to Prey on Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo sylvestris) in the Pineywoods of East Texas

Comer

Hardin

2015

Southeastern Naturalist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…We conducted small mammal surveys using track tubes (Glennon, Porter & Demers, 2002) in 21 of these 22 forested sites from June-August 2001. We used a 7 × 7 grid of tubes with 20 m spacing whenever possible; in fragments too small for this design, we placed tubes at 20 m intervals arranged to sample as much of the site as possible.…”

Section: Survey Of Small Mammals and Seed Predationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological impact of inside/outside house cats around a suburban nature preserve

Kays

DeWan

2004

Animal Conservation

181

154

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While subsidised populations of feral cats are known to impact their prey populations, little is known about the ecological impact of inside/outside hunting cats (IOHC). We studied IOHC around a suburban nature preserve. Mail surveys indicated an average of 0.275 IOHC/house, leading to a regional density estimate of 0.32 IOHC/ha. A geographical model of cat density was created based on local house density and distance from forest/neighbourhood edge. IOHC hunted mostly small mammals, averaging 1.67 prey brought home/cat/month and a kill rate of 13%. Predation rates based on kills brought home was lower than the estimate from observing hunting cats (5.54 kills/cat/month). IOHC spent most outside time in their or their immediate neighbours' garden/yard, or in the nearby forest edge; 80% of observed hunts occurred in a garden/yard or in the first 10 m of forest. Radio-tracked IOHC averaged 0.24 ha in home-range size (95% minimum convex polygon (MCP)) and rarely entered forest. Confirming this, scent stations detected cats more often near the edge and more cats were detected in smaller forest fragments. There was no relationship between the number of cats detected in an area and the local small mammal abundance or rodent seed predation rates. Cold weather and healthy cat predator populations are speculated to minimise the ecological impact of IOHC on this area.

show abstract

An Alternative Field Technique for Estimating Diversity of Small-Mammal Populations

Cited by 46 publications

References 18 publications

A comparative assessment of track plates to quantify fine scale variations in the relative abundance of Norway rats in urban slums

A comparative assessment of track plates to quantify fine scale variations in the relative abundance of Norway rats in urban slums

Prey Selection by Three Mesopredators that are Thought to Prey on Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo sylvestris) in the Pineywoods of East Texas

Ecological impact of inside/outside house cats around a suburban nature preserve

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About