Validation of hair tubes for small mammal population studies

摘要: Survey techniques available to sample mammals have multiplied during the last decades. They offer new opportunities for sampling and monitoring populations, but before widespread use they need be validated calibrated more traditional approaches. We conducted a quantitative assessment of hair tubes designed monitor common small by comparing results live-trapping data. Hair are inexpensive, easy use, noninvasive, which offers benefits regarding animal ethics. considered shape tube, application in field conditions, hair-tube 3 different habitats based on experimental 2 countries. Tube size selected species entering into tubes, with shrews detected only rodents larger tubes. The number visited (with sample) was proportional individuals captured live traps. Overall, performed better than traps, detecting where traps did not, making this technique promising inventory rare species. pattern robust across wood, grassland, cultivated seasons, suggests that proportion is indicator relative abundance mammals. In context population studies, cannot replace trapping because identification or from collected difficult costly. recommend combining livetrapping increased efficiency DNA applied large-scale studies.