应用红外相机陷阱法估计荒漠啮齿动物种群密度

啮齿动物是草地生态系统中的重要成分。监测啮齿动物种群动态对于草地生态系统小型哺乳动物的生态学研究及草地鼠害控制均具有重要的意义。目前国内外对啮齿动物的种群监测主要以铗捕法、笼捕法为主,既费时又费力。红外相机技术的应用可弥补这一缺点,然而关于红外相机技术测度荒漠小型啮齿动物种群数量的研究并不多见。本研究采用红外相机陷阱法和标志重捕法对内蒙古阿拉善荒漠区主要啮齿动物的种群数量进行连续监测,并分析不同方法监测结果的优缺点,以期选择一种基于红外相机技术适合荒漠啮齿动物种群数量监测的方法。研究结果表明,基于红外相机技术的随机相遇模型和捕获率模型在评估荒漠区五趾跳鼠(Allactaga sibirica)和三趾跳鼠(Dipus sagitta)的种群密度中均具有较好效果,但是捕获率模型在评估子午沙鼠(Meriones meridianus)种群密度时效果优于随机相遇模型,且捕获率模型涉及参数较少。在监测荒漠啮齿动物种群数量时,对于跳鼠的研究两种方法均可使用,对于啮齿动物多物种种群数量研究,建议采用捕获率模型。

Estimating the population density of desert rodents using a camera trap method

Rodents are important components of grassland ecosystems.Monitoring rodent population dynamics is of considerable significance with respect to the study of small mammal ecology and has applications in grassland pest control.Until recently,snap traps and live traps have been the main methods for monitoring rodent population;however,both methods are time-consuming and laborious.Although infrared camera technology can be used to overcome these shortcomings,few studies have estimated the population density of small desert rodents using this technology.In this study,infrared camera traps and capture–mark–recapture methods were used to investigate the population density of desert rodents,and the advantages and disadvantages of the respective methods were compared.Our aim was to select a suitable method for monitoring desert rodents populations using infrared camera technology.The results indicated that random encounter and capture rate models based on infrared camera technology performed well in evaluating the population density of two jerboa species(Allactaga sibirica and Dipus sagitta).However,the capture rate model was found to be the more effective of the two models in evaluating the population density of midday gerbils(Meriones meridianus).These results indicate that whereas both methods could be used for monitoring the population densities of jerboa in desert environments,the capture rate model would be more appropriate for multi-rodent species studies.