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Dryad

Camera trap data of small mammals at experimental dishes

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Dec 25, 2024 version files 4.23 MB

Abstract

We conducted cafeteria experiments in 2012/13, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21. In early October, we presented 18 dishes with 10 individually-marked seeds of Fagus sylvatica, two of which were fitted with a VHF-transmitter and eight with a 25-cm wire tag with a colorful flag. To confirm the species identity of visiting rodents, we installed camera traps at each experimental dish in autumn 2019 and 2020. Rodent species composition recorded at the experimental dishes varied between 2019 and 2020, but taxonomic groups other than small mammals were extremely rare in both years. In 2019, camera traps recorded 723 independent detections of small mammals (including 524 encounters of Apodemus spp. and 160 of Myodes glareolus) and in 2020, 79 small mammal detections (including 33 encounters of Glis glis and 13 of Myodes glareolus) during 15 and 23 days of operation, respectively. Encounter rates on camera traps were in line with species composition of life trapping and highlighted the enormous variation of visitation rates at experimental dishes between subsequent years. The only camera trap observation of a larger mammal was triggered by Meles meles in 2020. In addition to the frequent encounters of small mammals at the experimental dishes, we also detected two birds in 2019 and another one in 2020.