A review of factors to consider when using camera traps to study animal behavior to inform wildlife ecology and conservation

Anthony Caravaggi; A. Cole Burton; Douglas A. Clark; Jason T. Fisher; Amelia Grass; Sian Green; Catherine Hobaiter; Tim R. Hofmeester; Ammie K. Kalan; Daniella Rabaiotti; Danielle Rivet

doi:10.1111/csp2.239

A review of factors to consider when using camera traps to study animal behavior to inform wildlife ecology and conservation

Anthony Caravaggi, A. Cole Burton, Douglas A. Clark, Jason T. Fisher, Amelia Grass, Sian Green, Catherine Hobaiter, Tim R. Hofmeester, Ammie K. Kalan, Daniella Rabaiotti, Danielle Rivet

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

68 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Camera traps (CTs) are an increasingly popular method of studying animal behavior. However, the impact of cameras on detected individuals—such as from mechanical noise, odor, and emitted light—has received relatively little attention. These impacts are particularly important in behavioral studies in conservation that seek to ascribe changes in behavior to relevant environmental factors. In this article, we discuss three sources of bias that are relevant to conservation behavior studies using CTs: (a) disturbance caused by cameras; (b) variation in animal-detection parameters across camera models; and (c) biased detection across individuals and age, sex, and behavioral classes. We propose several recommendations aimed at mitigating responses to CTs by wildlife. Our recommendations offer a platform for the development of more rigorous and robust behavioral studies using CT technology and, if adopted, would result in greater applied benefits for conservation and management.

Original language	English
Article number	e239
Number of pages	9
Journal	Conservation Science and Practice
Volume	2
Issue number	8
Early online date	19 Jun 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.239
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 19 Jun 2020
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

© 2020 The Authors. Conservation Science and Practice published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Keywords

conservation behavior
management
observer bias
remote sensing
wildlife

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Global and Planetary Change
Ecology
Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Nature and Landscape Conservation

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10.1111/csp2.239Licence: CC BY

Cite this

Caravaggi, A., Burton, A. C., Clark, D. A., Fisher, J. T., Grass, A., Green, S., Hobaiter, C., Hofmeester, T. R., Kalan, A. K., Rabaiotti, D., & Rivet, D. (2020). A review of factors to consider when using camera traps to study animal behavior to inform wildlife ecology and conservation. Conservation Science and Practice, 2(8), Article e239. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.239

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abstract = "Camera traps (CTs) are an increasingly popular method of studying animal behavior. However, the impact of cameras on detected individuals—such as from mechanical noise, odor, and emitted light—has received relatively little attention. These impacts are particularly important in behavioral studies in conservation that seek to ascribe changes in behavior to relevant environmental factors. In this article, we discuss three sources of bias that are relevant to conservation behavior studies using CTs: (a) disturbance caused by cameras; (b) variation in animal-detection parameters across camera models; and (c) biased detection across individuals and age, sex, and behavioral classes. We propose several recommendations aimed at mitigating responses to CTs by wildlife. Our recommendations offer a platform for the development of more rigorous and robust behavioral studies using CT technology and, if adopted, would result in greater applied benefits for conservation and management.",

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AU - Hofmeester, Tim R.

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AU - Rabaiotti, Daniella

AU - Rivet, Danielle

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A review of factors to consider when using camera traps to study animal behavior to inform wildlife ecology and conservation

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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