A Comparison of Noninvasive Techniques to Survey Carnivore Communities in Northeastern North America

  1. MATTHEW E. GOMPPER1,†,*,
  2. ROLAND W. KAYS2,‡,
  3. JUSTINA C. RAY3,§,
  4. SCOTT D. LAPOINT4,¶,
  5. DANIEL A. BOGAN5,‖,
  6. JASON R. CRYAN6,††

Article first published online: 13 DEC 2010

DOI: 10.2193/0091-7648(2006)34[1142:ACONTT]2.0.CO;2

Issue

Wildlife Society Bulletin

Wildlife Society Bulletin

Volume 34, Issue 4, pages 1142–1151, November 2006

Additional Information

How to Cite

GOMPPER, M. E., KAYS, R. W., RAY, J. C., LAPOINT, S. D., BOGAN, D. A. and CRYAN, J. R. (2006), A Comparison of Noninvasive Techniques to Survey Carnivore Communities in Northeastern North America. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 34: 1142–1151. doi: 10.2193/0091-7648(2006)34[1142:ACONTT]2.0.CO;2

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-7240, USA

  2. 2

    New York State Museum, Albany, NY 12230, USA

  3. 3

    Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Toronto, ON M5S 2T9, Canada

  4. 4

    State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA

  5. 5

    Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA

  6. 6

    New York State Museum, Albany, NY 12230, USA

  1. †

    Matthew E. Gompper (right) is an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri. He received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. His research examines theoretical and applied issues in carnivore ecology and evolution and the ecology of wildlife diseases.

  2. ‡

    Roland W. Kays (left) is Curator of Mammals at the New York State Museum where he studies carnivore spatial ecology and evolution. He received a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee.

  3. §

    Justina C. Ray (not pictured) is Director of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. She received a B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Her research focuses on the role of shifting landscapes in biodiversity decline and changes in forested ecosystems, particularly from the perspective of carnivorous mammals. She is lead editor of Large Carnivores and the Conservation of Biodiversity (Island Press 2005).

  4. Scott D. LaPoint (not pictured) received a B.S. from Paul Smith's College. He currently is a master's student at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry where he is examining road permeability to wildlife movements at landscape level spatial scales.

  5. ‖

    Daniel A. (Dan) Bogan (not pictured) received a B.S. from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a M.S. from State University of New York at Albany. He currently is a doctoral student at Cornell University examining coyote ecology and behavior in suburban landscapes of New York.

  6. ††

    Jason R. Cryan (not pictured) is Director of the Laboratory for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics at the New York State Museum. He received a B.A. from the University of Vermont, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from North Carolina State University. His research combines DNA sequencing and morphological examination to investigate phylogenetic relationships among groups of phytophagous insects in the order Hemiptera.

*gompperm@missouri.edu

  1. †

    Matthew E. Gompper (right) is an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri. He received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. His research examines theoretical and applied issues in carnivore ecology and evolution and the ecology of wildlife diseases.

  2. ‡

    Roland W. Kays (left) is Curator of Mammals at the New York State Museum where he studies carnivore spatial ecology and evolution. He received a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee.

  3. §

    Justina C. Ray (not pictured) is Director of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. She received a B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Her research focuses on the role of shifting landscapes in biodiversity decline and changes in forested ecosystems, particularly from the perspective of carnivorous mammals. She is lead editor of Large Carnivores and the Conservation of Biodiversity (Island Press 2005).

  4. Scott D. LaPoint (not pictured) received a B.S. from Paul Smith's College. He currently is a master's student at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry where he is examining road permeability to wildlife movements at landscape level spatial scales.

  5. ‖

    Daniel A. (Dan) Bogan (not pictured) received a B.S. from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a M.S. from State University of New York at Albany. He currently is a doctoral student at Cornell University examining coyote ecology and behavior in suburban landscapes of New York.

  6. ††

    Jason R. Cryan (not pictured) is Director of the Laboratory for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics at the New York State Museum. He received a B.A. from the University of Vermont, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from North Carolina State University. His research combines DNA sequencing and morphological examination to investigate phylogenetic relationships among groups of phytophagous insects in the order Hemiptera.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 13 DEC 2010
  2. Article first published online: 13 DEC 2010

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Keywords:

  • camera traps;
  • carnivores;
  • fecal DNA;
  • latency to detection;
  • New York;
  • noninvasive survey;
  • probability of detection;
  • snowtracking;
  • track-plates

Abstract

Carnivores are difficult to survey due, in large part, to their relative rarity across the landscape and wariness toward humans. Several noninvasive methods may aid in overcoming these difficulties, but there has been little discussion of the relative merits and biases of these techniques. We assess the value of 5 noninvasive techniques based on results from 2 multiyear studies of carnivores (including members of Carnivora and Didelphidae) in New York forests. Two metrics were particularly valuable in assessing the species-specific value of any particular survey technique: latency to initial detection (LTD) and probability of detection (POD). We found differences in the value of techniques in detecting different species. For midsized species (raccoon [Procyon lotor], fisher [Martes pennanti], opossum [Didelphis virginiana], and domestic cat [Felis catus]), camera traps and track-plates were approximately equivalent in detection efficiency, but the potential for wariness toward the survey apparatus resulted in higher LTD for track-plates than for cameras. On the other hand, track-plates detected small carnivores (marten [M. americana] and weasels [Mustela spp.]) more often than cameras and had higher PODs for small and midsized species than did cameras. Cameras were efficient mechanisms for surveying bears (Ursus americanus; low LTD, high POD) but functioned poorly for discerning presence of coyotes (Canis latrans; high LTD, low POD). Scat surveys and snowtracking were the best methods for coyotes, which avoided camera traps and artificial tracking surfaces. Our analysis of fecal DNA revealed that trail-based fecal surveys were inefficient at detecting species other than coyotes, with the possible exception of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Genetic analyses of feces and snowtracking revealed the presence of foxes at sites where other techniques failed to discern these species, suggesting that cameras and track-plates are inefficient for surveying small canids in this region. The LTD of coyotes by camera traps was not correlated with their abundance as indexed by scat counts, but for other species this metric may offer an opportunity to assess relative abundance across sites. Snowtracking surveys were particularly robust (high POD) for detecting species active in winter and may be more effective than both cameras and track-plates where conditions are suitable. We recommend that survey efforts targeting multiple members of the carnivore community use multiple independent techniques and incorporate mechanisms to truth their relative value.

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