Article CC BY 4.0
refereed
published

Evaluation of Rodent Hair Tubes for Activity Indices

GND
1058985353
Affiliation
Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Germany
Dürger, Joanna;
GND
1236705653
Affiliation
Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Germany
Kazasidis, Orestis;
Affiliation
Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Germany; Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tours, Parc Grandmont, 31 Av. Monge Bâtiment G, 37200 Tours, France
Brotier, Héloïse;
GND
122411307
Affiliation
Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Germany
Jacob, Jens

Activity indices are used to determine the presence and activity of small mammals, such as the hair index derived from the use of hair tubes. In contrast to trapping animals, hair tubes are non-invasive and less labor-intensive, and appear to be a suitable alternative in appropriate settings. We developed a method to calculate hair density semi-automatically. In addition, hair tube data were validated with field data using wildlife cameras for the small mammal community in grassland, wheat crops, and hedges to assess how well data from hair tubes match data from wildlife cameras. Adhesive tape with hair from hair tubes was processed and scanned. The resulting images were analyzed using a newly developed computer program that enables background and adhesive tape to be automatically distinguished from hair, providing a quantitative measure of hair density. Based on validation with wildlife cameras, hair tubes seem to be a suitable tool to estimate small mammal activity at the community level in several habitats. There was a moderate-to-strong positive correlation of the hair tube index with the sum of voles and Apodemus individuals (activity index) recorded in grasslands (Spearman’s correlation coefficient 0.43), hedges (0.79), and wheat (0.44). The newly developed computer program allows the automatic calculation of hair density, making it easier to assess the activity of small mammals.

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