Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Forword by Robert D. Martin
- Introduction
- 1 Human-nonhuman primate interactions: an ethnoprimatological approach
- 2 Habituating primates: processes, techniques, variables and ethics
- 3 Habitat description and phenology
- 4 The Global Positioning System, Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing
- 5 Monitoring local weather and climate
- 6 Survey and census methods: population distribution and density
- 7 Trapping primates
- 8 Handling, anaesthesia, health evaluation and biological sampling
- 9 Morphology, morphometrics and taxonomy
- 10 Marking and radio-tracking primates
- 11 Feeding ecology and seed dispersal
- 12 Dietary analysis I: Food physics
- 13 Dietary analysis II: Food chemistry
- 14 Collecting arthropods and arthropod remains for primate studies
- 15 Tape-recording primate vocalisations
- 16 Photography and video for field researchers
- 17 Chronobiological aspects of primate research
- 18 Thermoregulation and energetics
- 19 Field endocrinology: monitoring hormonal changes in free-ranging primates
- 20 Collection, storage and analysis of non-invasive genetic material in primate biology
- 21 Tips from the bush: an A-Z of suggestions for successful fieldwork
- Index
- References
6 - Survey and census methods: population distribution and density
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Forword by Robert D. Martin
- Introduction
- 1 Human-nonhuman primate interactions: an ethnoprimatological approach
- 2 Habituating primates: processes, techniques, variables and ethics
- 3 Habitat description and phenology
- 4 The Global Positioning System, Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing
- 5 Monitoring local weather and climate
- 6 Survey and census methods: population distribution and density
- 7 Trapping primates
- 8 Handling, anaesthesia, health evaluation and biological sampling
- 9 Morphology, morphometrics and taxonomy
- 10 Marking and radio-tracking primates
- 11 Feeding ecology and seed dispersal
- 12 Dietary analysis I: Food physics
- 13 Dietary analysis II: Food chemistry
- 14 Collecting arthropods and arthropod remains for primate studies
- 15 Tape-recording primate vocalisations
- 16 Photography and video for field researchers
- 17 Chronobiological aspects of primate research
- 18 Thermoregulation and energetics
- 19 Field endocrinology: monitoring hormonal changes in free-ranging primates
- 20 Collection, storage and analysis of non-invasive genetic material in primate biology
- 21 Tips from the bush: an A-Z of suggestions for successful fieldwork
- Index
- References
Summary
INTRODUCTION
A population study of a wild primate typically involves a considerable investment of time and resources (i.e. money, equipment, labour) and it is vital to ensure that such effort is well targeted. When designing your study, a key issue is whether your study objectives genuinely demand an absolute estimate of the population density from either a census (a total count) or a survey (in which density is estimated from statistically valid samples), or whether less information will suffice. Relative estimates of density using data from methods such as ‘catch-per-unit effort’ from trapping or systematic searching do not provide absolute densities but, as long as the sampling methods and other conditions are standardised, can allow reliable comparisons between locations and monitoring of population change over time. Population indices are based on indirect indicators, such as the density of faeces or other characteristic signs, that can be correlated with population density. Such methods may be a more practical alternative to searching for secretive, hard-to-find animals.
In practice, no population survey or census is completely bias free and many studies may find that a reliable relative population estimate or index is more achievable than a reliable absolute estimate of the population size (Bibby et al., 1992; Greenwood, 1996; Krebs, 1999). There is a trade-off between the depth of the data gathered and the number of replicate samples that can be obtained.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Field and Laboratory Methods in PrimatologyA Practical Guide, pp. 90 - 109Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003
References
, , & (1979). Guidelines for line transect sampling of biological populations. J. Wildlife Manag. 34, 141–6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, & (1985). Estimating population size and density using line transect sampling. Biom. J. 7, 723–31CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Begon, M. (1979). Investigating Animal Abundance, Capture–Recapture for Biologists. London: Edward Arnold
& (1987). Bias of bird census results due to detectability varying with habitat. Acta Ecol. 8, 103–12Google Scholar
Bibby, C. J., Burgess, N. D. & Hill, D. A. (1992). Bird Census Techniques. London: Academic Press
, , , & (2001). A survey of the apes in the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic: a comparison between the census and survey methods of estimating the gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) nest group density. Afr. J. Ecol. 39, 98–105CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, & (1988). Comparison of transects and circular-plots for estimating bobolink densities. J. Wildlife Manag 52, 777–86CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brockelman, W. Y. & Ali, R. (1987). Methods of surveying and sampling forest primate populations. In Primate Conservation in the Tropical Rain Forest ed. C. W. Marsh & R. A. Mittermeier, pp. 23–62. New York: Alan, R. Liss
Buckland, S. T., Anderson, D. R., Burnham, K. P. & Laake, J. L. (1993). Distance Sampling: Estimating Abundance of Biological Populations. London: Chapman & Hall
, & (2000). Wildlife population assessment: past developments and future directions. Biometrics 56, 1–12CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buckland, S. T., Anderson, D. R., Burnham, K. P., Laake, J. L., Borchers, D. L. & Thomas, L (2001). Introduction to Distance Sampling: Estimating Abundance of Biological Populations. Oxford: Oxford University Press
(1972). Écologie et vie sociale de Galago demidovii (Fischer 1808, Prosimii). Z. TierpsycholSuppl. 9, 7–41Google Scholar
Charles-Dominique, P. (1977). Ecology and Behaviour of Nocturnal Primates. London: Duckworth
Edwards, A. & White, L. (2000). Maps, compasses, GPS units and principles of navigation. In Conservation Research in African Rain Forests: A Technical Handbook, ed. L. White & A. Edwards, pp. 31–51. New York: Wildlife Conservation Society
& (2000). Diurnal primate densities and biomass in the Kakamega Forest: an evaluation of census methods and a comparison with other forests. Am. J. Primatol. 50, 139–523.0.CO;2-N>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1974). Observation on the home range of one group of mountain gorillas. Gorilla gorilla beringei. Anim. Behav 22, 568–81CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fossey, D. & Harcourt, A. H. (1977). Feeding ecology of free-ranging mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei). In Feeding Ecology, ed. T. H. Clutton-Brock, pp. 415–47. London: Academic PressCrossRef
, & (2001). Extended application of a marked-nest census method to examine seasonal changes in habitat use by chimpanzees. Int. J. Primatol 22, 913–28CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, & (1995). Use of modern infrared thermography for wildlife population surveys. Environ. Manag. 19, 233–8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, & (1997). The use of portable thermal imaging for estimating deer population density in forest habitats. J. Appl. Ecol. 34, 1273–86CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenwood, J. J. D. (1996). Basic techniques. In Ecological Census Techniques: A Handbook, ed. W. J. Sutherland, pp. 11–110. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
, & (1983). Conservation of the Virunga gorilla population. Afr. J. Ecol. 21, 139–42CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1995). Population census of the chimpanzees in the Kalinzu Forest, Uganda: comparison between methods with nest counts. Primates 36, 477–88CrossRefGoogle Scholar
& E. J. Sharp. (1998). Using thermal imagery in the aerial survey of animals. Wildlife Soc. Bull. 26, 17–23Google Scholar
, & (2000). Indices of population size for burrowing mammals. J. Wildlife Manag. 64, 296–301CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krebs, C. J. (1999). Ecological Methodology, 2nd edition. Menlo Park, CA: Addison Wesley Longman
(1998). Three monkeys nearing extinction in the forest reserves of eastern Côte d'Ivoire. Oryx 32, 233–6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , Brock– & (2001). Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda: Gorilla census, 1997. Oryx 35, 39–47CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nichols, J. D. & M. J. Conroy (1996). Techniques for estimating abundance and species richness. In Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Mammals, ed. D. E. Wilson, F. R. Cole, J. D. Nichols, R. Rudran &. M. S. Foster, pp. 177–234. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press
Parnell, R. J. (2000). Information from animal tracks and trails. In Conservation Research in African Rain Forests: A Technical Handbook, ed. L. White & A. Edwards, pp. 157–89. New York: Wildlife Conservation Society
(1987). Surveying orang-utan populations by counting nests from a helicopter: a pilot survey in Sabah. Primate Cons. 8, 92–103Google Scholar
Schaller, G. B. (1963). The Mountain Gorilla: Ecology and Behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Sholley, C. R. (1991). Conserving gorillas in the midst of guerillas. In American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, Annual Conference Proceedings, pp. 30–7
, , , & (1999). Status survey of slender loris Loris tardigradus lydekkerianus in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India. Oryx 33, 31–7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southwood, T. R. E. & Henderson, P. A. (2000). Ecological Methods, 3rd edition. Oxford: Blackwell Science
Thomas, L., Laake, J. L., Derry, J. F., Buckland, S. T., Borchers, D. L., Anderson, D. R., Burnham, K. P., Strindberg, S., Hedley, S. L., Marques, F. F. C., Pollard, J. H. & Fewster, R. M. (1998). Distance 3.5. Research Unit for Wildlife Population Assessment. St Andrews. University of St Andrews
& (1984). Nationwide census of gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla) and chimpanzee (Pan t. troglodytes) populations in Gabon. Am. J. Primatol. 6, 313–36CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , & (1995). Nest building by lowland gorillas in Lope Reserve, Gabon: environmental influences and implications for censusing. Int. J. Primatol 16, 53–76CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, & (2000). A survey of bonobos and other large mammals in Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Oryx 34, 180–8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wemmer, C., Kunz, T. H., Lundie–Jenkins, G. & McShea, W. J. (1996). Mammalian signs. In Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Mammals, ed. D. E. Wilson, F. R. Cole, J. D. Nichols, R. Rudran &. M. S. Foster, pp. 157–76. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press
White, L. & Edwards, A. (2000). Methods for assessing the status of animal populations. In Conservation Research in African Rain Forests: A Technical Handbook, ed. L. White & A. Edwards, pp. 225–73. New York: Wildlife Conservation Society
- 21
- Cited by