Oral Presentations: UC 327
Effectiveness of Lure in Capturing Northern Bog Lemmings on Trail Cameras
Presentation Type
Presentation
Abstract / Artist's Statement
The Northern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys borealis) is a species being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act, so determining their presence is helpful for management. Northern bog lemmings are difficult to trap and when they are caught, experience high mortality rates; because of this it is difficult to determine presence/absence of this species. We used a non-invasive, trail camera method to look at the attractiveness of different lures for bog lemming surveys. Twelve cameras were placed in two different fens in western Montana. Under each trail camera we placed small, square 6 by 6- inch pieces of plywood with a metric ruler on the sides of the board for size reference of small mammals. We tested 6 different types oflure/scent (including muskrat) to see which lures have better detection rates. The 6lures were; muskrat lure (control), almond extract, vanilla extract, strawberry extract, clove oil, and lemongrass oil. Cameras were placed in each fen site for approximately three weeks and were checked every week. Our One-way ANOV A confirmed that there was a significant difference between lure types on bog lemming counts (F6,64 = 2.465, p = 0.033), such that almond extract had the highest detection rates (0.42 detections/night), which Tukey HSD post-hoc multiple comparisons revealed were significantly different than lemon grass and vanilla (0 detections/ night). Northern bog lemmings were confirmed in 7 different picture series in Finley Fen, five of which were on almond extract boards. No bog lemmings were detected in Meadow Creek Fen, although it was a known bog lemming site. The small detection rate for northern bog lemmings indicated that a larger sample size may be needed, or other lure types tested to definitively detect northern bog lemmings using trail cameras.
Category
Physical Sciences
Effectiveness of Lure in Capturing Northern Bog Lemmings on Trail Cameras
UC 327
The Northern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys borealis) is a species being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act, so determining their presence is helpful for management. Northern bog lemmings are difficult to trap and when they are caught, experience high mortality rates; because of this it is difficult to determine presence/absence of this species. We used a non-invasive, trail camera method to look at the attractiveness of different lures for bog lemming surveys. Twelve cameras were placed in two different fens in western Montana. Under each trail camera we placed small, square 6 by 6- inch pieces of plywood with a metric ruler on the sides of the board for size reference of small mammals. We tested 6 different types oflure/scent (including muskrat) to see which lures have better detection rates. The 6lures were; muskrat lure (control), almond extract, vanilla extract, strawberry extract, clove oil, and lemongrass oil. Cameras were placed in each fen site for approximately three weeks and were checked every week. Our One-way ANOV A confirmed that there was a significant difference between lure types on bog lemming counts (F6,64 = 2.465, p = 0.033), such that almond extract had the highest detection rates (0.42 detections/night), which Tukey HSD post-hoc multiple comparisons revealed were significantly different than lemon grass and vanilla (0 detections/ night). Northern bog lemmings were confirmed in 7 different picture series in Finley Fen, five of which were on almond extract boards. No bog lemmings were detected in Meadow Creek Fen, although it was a known bog lemming site. The small detection rate for northern bog lemmings indicated that a larger sample size may be needed, or other lure types tested to definitively detect northern bog lemmings using trail cameras.