Journal ArticleDOI
Who really ate the fruit? A novel approach to camera trapping for quantifying frugivory by ruminants
TLDR
Two ruminants, the Indian chevrotain Moschiola indica and chital Axis axis, were P. emblica’s most frequent frugivores and they accounted for over 95% of fruit removal, while murid rodents accounted for less than 1%.Abstract:
Tropical forest ruminants disperse several plants; yet, their effectiveness as seed dispersers is not systematically quantified. Information on frequency and extent of frugivory by ruminants is lacking. Techniques such as tree watches or fruit traps adapted from avian frugivore studies are not suitable to study terrestrial frugivores, and conventional camera traps provide little quantitative information. We used a novel time-delay camera-trap technique to assess the effectiveness of ruminants as seed dispersers for Phyllanthus emblica at Mudumalai, southern India. After being triggered by animal movement, cameras were programmed to take pictures every 2 min for the next 6 min, yielding a sequence of four pictures. Actual frugivores were differentiated from mere visitors, who did not consume fruit, by comparing the number of fruit remaining across the time-delay photograph sequence. During a 2-year study using this technique, we found that six terrestrial mammals consumed fallen P. emblica fruit. Additionally, seven mammals and one bird species visited fruiting trees but did not consume fallen fruit. Two ruminants, the Indian chevrotain Moschiola indica and chital Axis axis, were P. emblica’s most frequent frugivores and they accounted for over 95% of fruit removal, while murid rodents accounted for less than 1%. Plants like P. emblica that are dispersed mainly by large mammalian frugivores are likely to have limited ability to migrate across fragmented landscapes in response to rapidly changing climates. We hope that more quantitative information on ruminant frugivory will become available with a wider application of our time-delay camera-trap technique.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Seven Shortfalls that Beset Large-Scale Knowledge of Biodiversity
Joaquín Hortal,Francesco de Bello,José Alexandre Felizola Diniz-Filho,Thomas M. Lewinsohn,Jorge M. Lobo,Richard J. Ladle +5 more
TL;DR: The concept of knowledge shortfalls is updated and the tradeoffs between generality and uncertainty are reviewed and a general framework for the combined impacts and consequences of shortfalls of large-scale biodiversity knowledge is concluded.
Journal ArticleDOI
A Novel Method to Reduce Time Investment When Processing Videos from Camera Trap Studies
TL;DR: This paper proposes a method to partially eliminate non-target recordings without having to watch the recordings, in order to reduce workload and concludes that adding an extra processing step in the camera trap protocol can result in large time savings.
Journal ArticleDOI
User-based design specifications for the ultimate camera trap for wildlife research
Paul D. Meek,A. Pittet +1 more
TL;DR: The desired features and specifications as defined by over 150 scientists using camera traps around the world are described and discussed under the guise of the ultimate camera trap for wildlife research, with the disclaimer that no such camera trap currently exists.
Proceedings ArticleDOI
Towards Automated Visual Monitoring of Individual Gorillas in the Wild
Clemens-Alexander Brust,Tilo Burghardt,Milou Groenenberg,Christoph Käding,Hjalmar S. Kühl,Marie L. Manguette,Joachim Denzler +6 more
TL;DR: In this article, a system for automatic interpretation of sightings of individual western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) as captured in facial field photography in the wild is described.
Journal ArticleDOI
Bias Associated with Baited Camera Sites for Assessing Population Characteristics of Deer
TL;DR: In this article, the authors monitored cameras placed at random, along game trails, and at feed stations to determine if camera placement influenced measures of population demographics in a herd of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).
References
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Southeast Asian biodiversity: an impending disaster
TL;DR: The looming Southeast Asian biodiversity disaster demands immediate and definitive actions, yet such measures continue to be constrained by socioeconomic factors, including poverty and lack of infrastructure.
Book ChapterDOI
Quantity, Quality and the Effectiveness of Seed Dispersal by Animals
TL;DR: The role of the present paper is to review the available information and construct a hierarchical framework for viewing the components of disperser effectiveness.
Journal ArticleDOI
Tigers and their prey: Predicting carnivore densities from prey abundance
TL;DR: A simple mechanistic model for predicting tiger density as a function of prey density is developed and provides evidence of a functional relationship between abundances of large carnivores and their prey under a wide range of ecological conditions.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Impact of Hunting on the Mammalian Fauna of Tropical Asian Forests
TL;DR: Hunting has become a massive problem in tropical Asian forests because of high human population densities and a generally well-developed infrastructure that not only makes most forest areas easily accessible, but also gives access to distant urban markets for luxury (often medicinal) products.