Abstract
Detectability poses a common challenge faced by studies of small mammals. Traditional sampling methods use traps placed exclusively on the ground, which makes them less effective for monitoring species with climbing habits. The bias arising from imperfect detection may have important implications in pest assessment, epidemiological studies involving reservoirs, and conservation studies. In this study, we added above ground level (AGL) traps in the bushy or arboreal stratum to the conventional sampling protocol. Our objective was to evaluate whether the location of the traps influences the seasonal abundance pattern of Oligoryzomys flavescens, a scansorial rodent species identified as an orthohantavirus reservoir in the study area. Additionally, we evaluated the potential impact of various environmental variables on the capture probability of O. flavescens in different strata. Detectability of this rodent was significantly increased in traps placed AGL than at ground level (GL). However, trap placement level did not influence seasonal variation in O. flavescens abundance. Furthermore, the increase in herbaceous cover at ground level positively influenced the probability of capturing O. flavescens in traps placed AGL. Traditional sampling designs relying solely on GL traps may perform well for studies focused on the population dynamics of O. flavescens. Conversely, in areas where herbaceous vegetation facilitates connectivity between the ground and shrub layers, adding AGL traps in the sampling strategy can guarantee better results for studies that need to capture a large number of O. flavescens individuals (i.e., seroprevalence studies or investigations on movements).
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the team of Ecología de Roedores Urbanos (Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales-UBA), especially Mr. Mauro David Molinillo, Lic. Mariela Pavon Novarin and Lic. Celeste Dea, for their assistance during the field sampling, and to the Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur staff for logistic support. This research was supported by grants from Universidad de Buenos Aires and Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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This work was supported by the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design and critically reviewed the original draft. ALP: conceptualization, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, writing original draft and edition. OVS: conceptualization, interpretation of the results, and acquisition of funding. MAT: conceptualization, data analysis and interpretation of the results. DH: conceptualization, data collection. EM: conceptualization, data collection, interpretation of the results, writing original draft, edition and supervision.
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Pérez, A.L., Suárez, O.V., Tripodi, M.A. et al. Could the detection of small rodents be improved? The case of Oligoryzomys flavescens, an orthohantavirus reservoir species, in a natural reserve immersed in an urban landscape. Mamm Biol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-024-00409-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-024-00409-3