Can you count on counting? Retrieving reliable data from non-lethal monitoring of micro-snails
Using non-lethal methods is especially important for the monitoring and conservation planning of endangered species and their habitats. The goal of this study is to check whether the current method of monitoring endangered micro-snail populations by soil sampling, which involves killing the snails a...
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doaj-b2cb5c98fee843dcad58ffbf1cf894a42020-12-31T04:41:30ZengElsevierPerspectives in Ecology and Conservation2530-06442017-04-01152124128Can you count on counting? Retrieving reliable data from non-lethal monitoring of micro-snailsZofia Książkiewicz-Parulska0Bartłomiej Gołdyn1Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, Poland; Corresponding author.Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, Poland; Laboratorio de Ecología Tropical Natural y Aplicada, Universidad Estatal Amazónica, Puyo, EcuadorUsing non-lethal methods is especially important for the monitoring and conservation planning of endangered species and their habitats. The goal of this study is to check whether the current method of monitoring endangered micro-snail populations by soil sampling, which involves killing the snails and altering their microhabitat, could be replaced by a non-lethal method. The invasive and time-consuming soil sampling and analyzing is compared with searching the individuals by eye. Research was conducted in moist sedges meadows and seasonally inundated wetlands in western Poland and focused on two species of micro-snails differing in biology, i.e. Vertigo moulinsiana (a climbing species) and Vertigo angustior (a litter-dwelling species). Both vertiginid species are listed in the Annex II of the EU Habitat Directive and included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The results showed a significant correlation between the total number of individuals searched by eye and collected from soil samples of V. angustior and V. moulinsiana. Results of this study indicate that monitoring micro-snails by searching individuals by eye is feasible and may reduce further pressure of killing individuals of endangered species. Limitations of this method should however be taken into account – especially its inaccuracy in estimating the absolute abundance of the studied species.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1679007316301323ConservationGastropodsInvertebratesWetlandsMonitoringSampling methods |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Zofia Książkiewicz-Parulska Bartłomiej Gołdyn |
spellingShingle |
Zofia Książkiewicz-Parulska Bartłomiej Gołdyn Can you count on counting? Retrieving reliable data from non-lethal monitoring of micro-snails Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation Conservation Gastropods Invertebrates Wetlands Monitoring Sampling methods |
author_facet |
Zofia Książkiewicz-Parulska Bartłomiej Gołdyn |
author_sort |
Zofia Książkiewicz-Parulska |
title |
Can you count on counting? Retrieving reliable data from non-lethal monitoring of micro-snails |
title_short |
Can you count on counting? Retrieving reliable data from non-lethal monitoring of micro-snails |
title_full |
Can you count on counting? Retrieving reliable data from non-lethal monitoring of micro-snails |
title_fullStr |
Can you count on counting? Retrieving reliable data from non-lethal monitoring of micro-snails |
title_full_unstemmed |
Can you count on counting? Retrieving reliable data from non-lethal monitoring of micro-snails |
title_sort |
can you count on counting? retrieving reliable data from non-lethal monitoring of micro-snails |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation |
issn |
2530-0644 |
publishDate |
2017-04-01 |
description |
Using non-lethal methods is especially important for the monitoring and conservation planning of endangered species and their habitats. The goal of this study is to check whether the current method of monitoring endangered micro-snail populations by soil sampling, which involves killing the snails and altering their microhabitat, could be replaced by a non-lethal method. The invasive and time-consuming soil sampling and analyzing is compared with searching the individuals by eye. Research was conducted in moist sedges meadows and seasonally inundated wetlands in western Poland and focused on two species of micro-snails differing in biology, i.e. Vertigo moulinsiana (a climbing species) and Vertigo angustior (a litter-dwelling species). Both vertiginid species are listed in the Annex II of the EU Habitat Directive and included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The results showed a significant correlation between the total number of individuals searched by eye and collected from soil samples of V. angustior and V. moulinsiana. Results of this study indicate that monitoring micro-snails by searching individuals by eye is feasible and may reduce further pressure of killing individuals of endangered species. Limitations of this method should however be taken into account – especially its inaccuracy in estimating the absolute abundance of the studied species. |
topic |
Conservation Gastropods Invertebrates Wetlands Monitoring Sampling methods |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1679007316301323 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT zofiaksiazkiewiczparulska canyoucountoncountingretrievingreliabledatafromnonlethalmonitoringofmicrosnails AT bartłomiejgołdyn canyoucountoncountingretrievingreliabledatafromnonlethalmonitoringofmicrosnails |
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