Assessment of the mammalian and
avian community in the Laramie
Range, Wyoming, with
camera traps
Kenneth K. Askelson, Adi Barocas, and Merav Ben-David Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of
Mammalian and Avian Communities
• The influence of habitat on the composition of mammalian and avian communities in the Rocky Mountains has not been fully explored.
• Describing site specific communities can provide an understanding of possible responses to rapid human-induced global change.
Mammalian and Avian Communities
Our goals were:
• To begin quantifying and monitoring
biodiversity in the Laramie Range using camera traps.
• Store the resulting data in the Wyoming Biodiversity database to ensure availability to future researchers.
Study Area
• 21 km East of Laramie in Medicine Bow National Forest
• Semi-arid continental habitat • Two Habitats Sampled:
– Forest Habitat
Camera Traps
• 23 cameras were placed in two grids concurrently used for a companion study on least chipmunks.
• Cameras were deployed for 45 days.
Camera Traps
• Cameras were placed roughly 0.25m above the ground at 50 m intervals.
• Initially they were set to low sensitivity but were changed to high sensitivity to capture small mammals.
• Videos were recorded for 30 seconds after the camera was triggered.
Data Retrieval and Analysis
• Each week over the 45 day period data cards were pulled and downloaded to a computer. The cameras were immediately reset.
• All videos were screened and those with no animal footage were discarded.
• Consecutive video segments with less than 1 minute interval were combined into a single observation.
Results
• Overall we collected 415 video segments of animal footage representing 275 independent observations.• There were more detections in the
sagebrush but more species in the forest.
Aver ag e d ete c ti on s pe r c am er a 0 10 20 30 40 50 Habiat Forest Sagebrush Nu mb er of s pe c ies 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Results
Dark-ey ed Junc o Ameri can Robi n Hairy woodpec ker Norther n Flick er Clark 's nut cracker Steller' s Jay Wild Turkey Number of detec ti on 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18Bird detections were relatively low, with a prevalence of American Robin. Most bird detections occurred in the
North Ameri can Deer mous e Leas t Chi pmunk Red Squi rrel Easter n Fox Squi rrel Bushy -tailed Woodr at Mount ain Cot tontail Red Fox North Ameri can Por cupi ne Number of detec ti ons 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Results
• Small and medium-sized mammal
detections were dominated by deermice and chipmunks.
• Tree squirrels were only detected in the forest whereas woodrats were only found in the
Results
• Unexpectedly, the highest number of large mammal detections were of White-tailed deer.• Most large mammals detection occurred in the forest.
Whit
e-tail
ed Deer Mule Deer
Elk Moos e Nu mber of dete c ti on s 0 10 20 30 40 50
Results
• Most mammals were observed at night. Elk and
deer were active in both day and night; Sciurids were diurnal.
Time of detection
Day Night Both
Nu mbe r of s pe c ies 0 2 4 6 8
Conclusion
• We found that remote cameras are best for
large and small mammals.
• For detecting birds we suggest alternate
camera placement.
• Future Studies
– Relation between detections and abundance
– Behavioral data
– Effects of bark beetle tree
