Wedgie Gold: Using metal detectors to recover PIT tags under areas used by wedge-tailed eagles and barn owls

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 304
Author(s):  
M. Blythman ◽  
C. Sims ◽  
G. Eliot
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Pit Tag ◽  
Metal Detector ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Barn Owls ◽  
Metal Detectors ◽  
Roost Trees

A metal detector was used to recover passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags from below wedge-tailed eagle and barn owl nests and roost trees. The effectiveness of four different metal detectors to locate PIT tags and Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme (ABBBS) bands were compared. Twenty PIT tags from 14 golden bandicoots, five burrowing bettongs and one rufous hare-wallaby were recovered from wedge-tailed eagle sites. One unreadable PIT tag was recovered from a barn owl site. This technique has potential for use in determining the survivorship of translocated threatened species.

Successful use of a passive integrated transponder (PIT) system for below-ground detection of plethodontid salamanders

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant M. Connette ◽  
Raymond D. Semlitsch
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Detection Efficiency ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Pit Tag ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Plethodontid Salamanders ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Pit Tagging

Context Passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology allows for permanent and unambiguous marking of animals and has recently been adapted for locating tagged individuals in the field with portable detection systems. Aims We seek to assess the effects of PIT tagging on the growth and survival of plethodontid salamanders in the laboratory and to evaluate the effectiveness of this method for subterranean detection of salamanders in the field. Methods In a laboratory experiment, we assigned 36 Plethodon shermani to either a PIT tag or control group and compared survival and growth rates over the course of 9 weeks. For the field study, we implanted six Plethodon metcalfi with PIT tags and conducted surveys so as to determine their below-ground positions with a portable detector. Key results We found no effect of PIT tagging on either growth or survival in the laboratory. In the field, PIT telemetry resulted in an overall detection efficiency of 44%, with nighttime surveys yielding a greater detection efficiency than daytime surveys. This technique provided a significant improvement over traditional hand-capture because detected salamanders were rarely visible on the ground surface. Key conclusions Our study indicates that even these relatively small-bodied salamanders (range: 2.14–5.18 g) are capable of bearing PIT tag implants and confirms the results of previous studies that found no effect of PIT tagging on the health or survival of amphibians. This study further demonstrates that the use of a portable PIT detector can be an effective method for locating below-ground salamanders. Implications Because of the small size and long lifespan of PIT tags, we believe portable PIT detectors can provide researchers with an unprecedented level of detail for studies of the movement behaviour, spatial ecology and management of species that are small or otherwise challenging to detect and monitor with other techniques.

scholarly journals Behavioral Response of Bats to Passive Integrated Transponder Tag Reader Arrays Placed at Cave Entrances

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric R. Britzke ◽  
Mark W. Gumbert ◽  
Matthew G. Hohmann
Keyword(s):  
Pit Tag ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Bat Activity ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Winter Activity ◽  
Initial Sampling ◽  
Opening Up ◽  
Potential Use ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract An increasingly popular mark–recapture method to study the ecology of bats is the use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Deployment of PIT reader arrays at entrances to caves and mines can yield insight into bat behavior during swarming, winter activity, and emergence. This application has the potential to address questions about bat activity at cave and mine entrances in response to white-nose syndrome or bat seasonal movements; however, no studies have examined the response of bats to these arrays. We describe bat response to placement of PIT tag reader arrays using camcorders and supplemental infrared illuminators at three cave entrances near Bloomington, Indiana, during spring 2006. A random subset of 5-min periods was viewed and bat behavior was classified. Circling represented >70% of all behavior noted for two caves but only represented approximately 30% of behavior at the third cave. Proportions of observed activity that resulted in contacts or landings were consistently low across the three caves (x̄  =  1.34%; range 0.5–3.0%), with most contacts causing bats to simply change course and fly away. Based on our observations, positioning reader PIT tag reader arrays at cave entrances to passively recapture PIT tags does not limit bat movements. However, video monitoring during initial sampling efforts of future projects should be conducted to verify appropriate placement and configuration of PIT tag reader arrays. This research provides data illustrating the lack of significant impact in using PIT tag reader arrays at cave entrances, thereby opening up the potential use of this technology to address issues of bats ecology that cannot be obtained with other marking techniques.

scholarly journals Passive Integrated Transponder Tags: Review of Studies on Warmwater Fishes With Notes on Additional Species

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Chris Musselman ◽  
Thomas A. Worthington ◽  
Joshua Mouser ◽  
Desiree M. Williams ◽  
Shannon K. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Smallmouth Bass ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Control Fish ◽  
Sample Sizes ◽  
Pit Tag ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Tag Retention ◽  
Half Duplex ◽  
Pit Tagging

Abstract Although numerous studies have assessed retention and survival of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, data are scattered and information gaps remain for many diminutive fishes. Our study objectives were to 1) systematically review PIT tag studies and summarize retention, growth, and survival data for warmwater fishes; and 2) conduct a laboratory study to evaluate the retention, survival, and growth effects of intracoelomic-placed, half duplex PIT tags on six small-bodied species common to warmwater streams. Our systematic review suggested small sample sizes were common within PIT tag retention and survival studies (39% with n ≤ 20) and that many experiments (15%, 14 of 97) failed to use control fish as part of their evaluations. Studies focused primarily on short-term changes (15 d to 2 y) in tag retention and survival. Tag retention was equal to or greater than 90% in 85% of the experiments reviewed and median survival was 92%. Growth was reported by fishes in the majority of reviewed studies. We found similar results after PIT tagging (peritoneum tagging using 12- or 23-mm half duplex tags) adult Cardinal Shiner Luxilus cardinalis, Central Stoneroller Campostoma annomalum, Greenside Darter Etheostoma blennioides, Orangethroat Darter Etheostoma spectabile, Slender Madtom Noturus exilis, and juvenile Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu. Tag retention for all species was high, with only one tag loss recorded after 60 d. Survival was also high (≥88%) for all of our species with the exception of Orangethroat Darter (56% survival). No significant difference in mean growth between treatment and control groups was found. Both our results and the findings of the literature review suggested generally high tag retention and low mortality in tagged fishes (across 31 species reviewed). However, within our study (e.g., Orangethroat Darter) and from the literature, examples of negative effects of PIT tagging on fishes were apparent, suggesting methodological testing is prudent before using PIT tags in field studies. We suggest future studies would benefit from addressing the behavioral implications that may be associated with tagging and examination of longer-term tag retention. Furthermore, standard reporting (i.e., sample sizes) in PIT tag studies would be beneficial, and use of control subjects or groups for statistical comparisons is needed.

scholarly journals Performance of a Pool and Weir Fishway for Iberian Cyprinids Migration: A Case Study

Fishes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedescoll ◽  
Aguado ◽  
Marcos ◽  
González
Keyword(s):  
Fish Populations ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Pit Tag ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Passage Efficiency

One of the movement barriers that fish populations must overcome for migration success in the upper basin of Tormes river (Salamanca, Spain) is a 20 m high dam. The design of its pool and weir fishway for potamodromous fishes (mostly Iberian barbel—Luciobarbus bocagei—and Northern straight-mouth nase—Pseudochondrostoma duriense) to overcome the obstacle was improved in 2013. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of the fishway using FDX passive integrated transponder (PIT)-Tags inserted into the fish and PIT-Tag detection antennas at the fishway. During several sampling events, 7113 barbel and nase individuals were tagged and released at the point of capture along the basin (2538 and 4575 of which were tagged downstream and upstream, respectively). PIT-Tag Detection Antennas close to the top and bottom of the fishway monitored tagged fish continuously for 10 months (from March to December 2017), to analyze the performance of the fishway. Upstream passage efficiency was greater for barbel (60% and 25% for barbel and nase, respectively). Differences in passage efficiency between species may be due to differences in their size. Mean length for barbels attempting to pass was 336 mm (±47 mm) while for nases was 143 mm (±26 mm). Moreover, both the number of attempts to pass and ascend time for nases were higher than for barbels. Entrance efficiency was low (3.5% and 10.8% for barbel and nase, respectively), although 2017 was a very dry year, thus these results are most likely influenced by flow rates. Therefore, the fishway has proved to be functional but is actually poor for efficiency purposes, especially for small fish.

Suitability of Passive Integrated Transponder Tags for Marking Live Animals for Trade.

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 767 ◽  
Author(s):  
WJ Freeland ◽  
K Fry
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Rapid Identification ◽  
Pit Tag ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Reliable Identification ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Technological Improvements ◽  
Animal Trade ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder Tags ◽  
Environmental Interference

Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags were subject to a series of experimental manipulations designed to simulate conditions operating during the course of trade in animals. Experiments were designed to determine the effects of tag-wand angle of orientation, various barriers between tags and wands and different wand-readers on the distance at which a reading could be made. The distances at which readings can be made are subject to influences by all three variables. The effect of tag-wand angle of orientation is likely to be trivial under most circumstances. Of more importance to the utility of PIT tags for animal trade is environmental interference, particularly that due to metallic barriers (plate or mesh). Different wand-readers produce idiosyncratic results in relation to orientation of the tag and wand and type of barrier. Implantation of tags in cane toads (Bufo marinus) indicates that tags are long lived and reliable. Loss of tags from the toads was relatively rare and probably due to error during the insertion of tags. PIT tags proved resistant to preservation in formalin or ethanol, and to the decomposition of animals in which they had been inserted. Tags inserted into 14 species of Australian mammal provided reliable identification of individuals, and were lost only from species that fly (bats) or are arboreal and glide (a petaurid marsupial). PIT tags are outstandingly reliable and provide for rapid identification of individual animals. Limitations to the use of PIT tags in trade in animals are the inability to conduct readings from a distance (>50mm), and their vulnerability to environmental interference. Technological improvements in taglscannerlreader design may improve the distance from which readings may be made, and cages could possibly be designed in ways that minimise environmental interference. Until these developments have occurred, the PIT tag does not provide cost-effective improvements in the ability to identify animals used in trade.

Suitability of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags for Tracking Weed Seed Movement in Soils

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Wilson ◽  
Gustavo M. Sbatella ◽  
QiQi Wang ◽  
Stephen D. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Seed Viability ◽  
Weed Seed ◽  
Pit Tag ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Nylon Mesh ◽  
No Till ◽  
Loam Soil ◽  
Sample Recovery

Information linking seed movement, along with changes in seed viability, is critical for understanding weed seed dynamics. Studies were conducted to examine the use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags placed in nylon mesh packets in combination with GPS (Global Positioning System) technology to track weed seed movement after tillage. Cylindrical PIT tags 11.5, 12, 20, and 23 mm long by 2 mm wide were evaluated in water and soil. Detection improved as tag size increased because of greater signal strength. Tags with the main axis oriented vertically were recovered at greater depths than when placed horizontally. Average detection depths for 12-mm PIT tags were 29.5 cm in water, 18.2 cm in sand, 24 cm in artificial soil, and 21.2 cm in sandy loam soil. Tests also showed that PIT tags and nylon mesh packets were resilient to intense tillage with a rototiller. No significant differences in displacement because of tillage were observed between free PIT tags and PIT-tagged packets. PIT tag performance was further tested in a 2-yr field experiment conducted between September 2003 and October 2005 at six sites in Nebraska and Wyoming. Tilled and no-till blocks were established at each site. PIT-tagged packets in the tilled block and untagged packets in the no-till block were used. Sample burial depths were 0, 2.5, 7.5, and 15 cm. Sample recovery rate did not differ between tilled and no-till blocks. Time of recovery was the main factor affecting recovery of packets buried at 0 and 2.5 cm in both blocks. Seed predation by small rodents and movement of samples beyond the area of study by tillage implements were the main sources of packet loss. Nevertheless, 2 yr after initiation of the study, more than 85% of the samples were recovered. Future development of PIT tag technology will lead to an enhanced ability to monitor seed movement.

Occurrence, fate, and confounding influence of ghost passive integrated transponder tags in an intensively monitored watershed

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosealea M. Bond ◽  
Colin L. Nicol ◽  
Joseph D. Kiernan ◽  
Brian C. Spence
Keyword(s):  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Fish Movement ◽  
Multistate Model ◽  
Pit Tag ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Median Distance ◽  
Live Fish ◽  
Biased Estimates ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder Tags

Over the last three decades, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags have been widely used to study fish populations. Interpretation of PIT tag detections, however, can be confounded by the presence of ghost tags, tags liberated when a fish dies. We used a combination of mobile antenna surveys, stationary antenna detections, and multistate mark–recapture modeling to assess the abundance and fate of ghost tags in a coastal California watershed. Accumulation of ghost tags from released hatchery-origin coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) smolts was substantial during California’s recent drought, with 2224 ghost tags identified during mobile reader surveys. Between surveys, PIT tags moved downstream a median distance of 346 m and a maximum distance of 1982 m. Stationary antenna array detections indicated that these movements occurred during high-flow events, concurrent with live fish movement. The multistate model estimated that, during winter, approximately 40% of tags were buried in the substrate beyond the read range of mobile readers. Failure to account for transport and burial dynamics of ghost tags can lead to biased estimates of fish abundance, survival, and movement.

scholarly journals Nidicolous beetle species richness is driven by Barn Owl’s nests occupancy and landscape structure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivien Cosandey ◽  
Robin Séchaud ◽  
Paul Béziers ◽  
Yannick Chittaro ◽  
Andreas Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Arthropod Community ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Nest Material ◽  
Crop Fields ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Bird Droppings ◽  
Barn Owls

AbstractBird nests are specialized habitats because of their particular composition including nest detritus and bird droppings. In consequence, they attract a specialized arthropod community considered as nidicolous, which includes species only found in bird nests (strictly nidicolous) or sometimes found in bird nests (facultatively nidicolous). Because the factors influencing the entomofauna in bird nests are poorly understood, in autumn 2019, we collected nest material in 86 Barn Owl (Tyto alba) nest boxes. We investigated whether the invertebrate species richness was related to Barn Owl nest box occupancy, the density of available nest boxes and the landscape structure. We found 3,321 nidicolous beetle specimens belonging to 24 species. Species richness of strictly nidicolous beetles was 2.7 times higher in nest boxes occupied by a family of Barn Owls the previous spring compared to unoccupied nest boxes. It was also higher in sites that were more often occupied by Barn Owls in the five previous years and in areas surrounded by a higher proportion of crop fields. For facultatively nidicolous beetles, the density of Barn Owl nest boxes enhanced the species richness. In conclusion, our study suggests that the strictly nidicolous beetles benefit from occupied nest boxes of Barn Owls, whereas facultatively nidicolous beetles look for nest boxes independently of whether Barn Owls occupy them. Our study highlights the importance of bird nests for a suite of invertebrates.

Genetic markers reveal high PIT tag retention rates in giant salamanders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shem D. Unger ◽  
Nicholas G. Burgmeier ◽  
Rod N. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Pit Tag ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Tag Retention ◽  
Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis ◽  
Genetic Tagging ◽  
Secondary Methods

Estimation of population size using mark-recapture (MRR) methods are based on the fundamental assumption that individuals retain their marks throughout the course of study. Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags are useful as a cost effective, reliable marking method in many amphibian and reptile species. Few studies however, use secondary methods to evaluate tag retention rates. Failure to do so can lead to biased population estimates, erroneous conclusions, and thus poor management decisions. Surprisingly, estimates of PIT tag retention are currently lacking for the majority of amphibian species, many of which are experiencing population declines. Herein, we use genetic tagging to assess the retention of PIT tags of the eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis). We captured and tagged 78 individuals across 35 sites. Recapture rate was 24% and genetic tagging revealed 100% tag retention across all recaptured individuals.

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