naa a22 4500 510737846 CHVBK 20180411083017.0 cr unu---uuuuu 180411e20130901xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11284-013-1071-8 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11284-013-1071-8 Assessing noninvasive hair and fecal sampling for monitoring the distribution and abundance of river otter [Elektronische Daten] [Chris Johnson, Dexter Hodder, Shannon Crowley] Monitoring the distribution and abundance of populations is an important component of efforts to meet management or conservation goals. Although the objectives for such studies are easy to define, cost-effective, precise, and accurate estimates are often elusive. We tested the efficacy and compared the cost-effectiveness of methods for estimating the number and recording the distribution of river otter (Lontra canadensis). We genotyped otter hair sampled using two noninvasive instruments and compared those results with a hypothetical study design based on DNA extracted from fecal matter. Patterns of distribution generated from DNA collected at latrine sites were then compared to observations of otter collected using VHF radiotelemetry. We achieved a high probability of genotyping river otter with a small number of hairs (i.e., 59.0% probability of producing a genotype with 1 guard hair and >5 under hair samples) collected using wire body snares and knaplock hair snags. Body snares were more effective at collecting otter hair, but there was relatively little additional cost to using both sampling instruments. Genotyped hair resulted in a high multi-year recapture rate (61.9%). Hair collection and genotyping was the most cost-effective method for monitoring populations of river otter ($168.50US/datum) followed by radiotelemetry ($264.50US/datum), and the extraction of DNA from fecal matter ($266.00US/datum). However, the noninvasive techniques did not represent the full distribution and fine-scale movements of otter, as observed using radiotelemetry. There has been much recent reporting of the efficacy of fecal matter as a source of DNA for conducting mark-recapture population estimates for mesocarnivores. Our data suggested that collecting DNA in hair may be a more cost-effective and efficient approach. The Ecological Society of Japan, 2013 Fecal DNA nationallicence Hair snag nationallicence Mark-recapture nationallicence Noninvasive nationallicence Population monitoring nationallicence River otter nationallicence Johnson Chris Ecosystem Science and Management Program, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, V2N 4Z9, Prince George, BC, Canada aut Hodder Dexter John Prince Research Forest, PO Box 2378, V0J 1P0, Fort St. James, BC, Canada aut Crowley Shannon John Prince Research Forest, PO Box 2378, V0J 1P0, Fort St. James, BC, Canada aut Ecological Research Springer Japan 28/5(2013-09-01), 881-892 0912-3814 28:5<881 2013 28 11284 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-013-1071-8 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-013-1071-8 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Johnson Chris Ecosystem Science and Management Program, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, V2N 4Z9, Prince George, BC, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Hodder Dexter John Prince Research Forest, PO Box 2378, V0J 1P0, Fort St. James, BC, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Crowley Shannon John Prince Research Forest, PO Box 2378, V0J 1P0, Fort St. James, BC, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Ecological Research Springer Japan 28/5(2013-09-01), 881-892 0912-3814 28:5<881 2013 28 11284 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer