Barthel Leon M F, Hofer Heribert, Berger Anne
Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) Berlin Germany.
Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) Berlin Germany.
Ecol Evol. 2018 Dec 21;9(1):672-679. doi: 10.1002/ece3.4794. eCollection 2019 Jan.
Bio-logging is an essential tool for the investigation of behavior, ecology, and physiology of wildlife. This burgeoning field enables the improvement of population monitoring and conservation efforts, particularly for small, elusive animals where data collection is difficult. Device attachment usually requires species-specific solutions to ensure that data loggers exert minimal influence on the animal's behavior and physiology, and ensure high reliability of data capture. External features or peculiar body shapes often make securing devices difficult for long-term monitoring, as in the case with small spiny mammals. Here, we present a method that enables high-resolution, long-term investigations of European hedgehogs () via GPS and acceleration loggers. We collected data from 17 wild hedgehogs with devices attached between 9 and 42 days. Our results showed that hedgehogs behaved naturally; as individuals curled, moved through dense vegetation, slipped under fences and built regular day nests without any indication of impediment. Our novel method makes it possible to not only attach high-precision devices for substantially longer than previous efforts, but enables detachment and reattachment of devices to the same individual. This makes it possible to quickly respond to unforeseen events and exchange devices, and overcomes the issue of short battery life common to many lightweight loggers.
生物记录是研究野生动物行为、生态和生理的重要工具。这个新兴领域有助于改进种群监测和保护工作，特别是对于难以进行数据收集的小型、难以捉摸的动物。设备附着通常需要针对特定物种的解决方案，以确保数据记录器对动物的行为和生理影响最小，并确保数据捕获的高可靠性。外部特征或奇特的身体形状常常使长期监测设备的固定变得困难，小型多刺哺乳动物就是这种情况。在这里，我们提出了一种方法，通过全球定位系统（GPS）和加速度记录器对欧洲刺猬进行高分辨率、长期研究。我们用附着设备9至42天的方式从17只野生刺猬身上收集了数据。我们的结果表明，刺猬行为自然；个体蜷缩、穿过茂密植被、从围栏下钻过并建造常规日巢，没有任何受阻迹象。我们的新方法不仅能够附着高精度设备的时间比以前长得多，而且能够将设备从同一个体上拆卸和重新附着。这使得能够快速应对意外事件并更换设备，还克服了许多轻型记录器常见的电池续航时间短的问题。
