Can demographic parameters be estimated from capture-recapture data on small grids? A test with forest rodents

Abstract

This preliminary study proposes small trapping grids as an alternative to traditional large grids for the simultaneous monitoring of several rodent populations by capture--recapture. Monthly trapping sessions of wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 1780) were carried on over a small area (0.015 ha, 21 traps). The coherence of demographic parameter estimates on such small grids with those obtained on classical large grids was checked by performing two trapping sessions on a larger grid (0.9 ha, 110 traps, 10 m mesh) surrounding the small grid. We compared the two grid designs on the basis of sex ratio upon first capture, trap saturation rate, minimum number alive (MNA), monthly survival, and trappability. These demographic parameters proved to be non-biased by the trapped area, even though the precision was lower on the small grid. Small grids seem therefore to give the same picture of population dynamics as classical large grids except for parameters sensitive to an edge effect (eg density). By decreasing significantly the trapping effort, small grids will be of particular interest whenever the simultaneous operation of several trapping grids is needed (eg to compare different environmental conditions).