Satellite Telemetry of Large Mammals in Mongolia: What Expectations Should We Have for Collar Function?
Satellite Telemetry of Large Mammals in Mongolia: What Expectations Should We Have for Collar Function?
复制标题
DOI：
10.2461/wbp.2010.6.9
复制
发表时间：
2010-12
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Walzer C
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kaczensky P;Ito TY;Walzer C
开发卫星野生动物跟踪工具的速度很快，几乎没有时间彻底测试新设备和查明可能的技术故障来源。在蒙古戈壁和东部草原地区，我们部署了98个卫星项圈，使用基于多普勒的Argos(n=29)或全球定位系统(GPS；n=69)收集动物的位置，收集了45头亚洲野驴(Horus Hemion Us)、34头蒙古瞪羚(Procapra Gutturosa)、15匹普氏原羚(E.Ferus przewalskii)、8头野生双峰驼(Camelus Ferus)和2头狼(Canis Lupus)的位置。尽管我们收集了偏远环境中鲜为人知的物种的宝贵数据，但在部署的98个项圈中，只有29个的工作情况与预期一样好或更好，而69个受到技术问题的影响。大多数问题与Argos组件性能降低有关(n=12)，与Argos组件和GPS组件性能降低有关(n=1)，或与Argos组件合并另一个未知问题有关(n=12)。其他问题包括制造或部署过程中的人为错误(n=10)、软件错误(n=7)、机械故障(n=5)、全球定位系统性能差(n=1)以及原因不明的过早故障(3≤n≤21)。蒙古瞪羚上仅有Argos项圈和没有连接到动物身上的项圈表现更好，这表明较大的身体质量会将Argos信号降低到临界阈值以下。因此，我们目前不建议使用取决于Argos单位的项圈来收集或转移中亚大型身体有蹄类的数据。虽然，几次过早的故障可能是由于偷猎动物造成的，但我们的失败率仍然很高，这表明管理人员和研究人员需要意识到，在应用新出现的卫星跟踪技术时，设备故障的风险很高。这意味着可能很难向科学界、公众、管理机构和资助机构解释后勤和财务方面的不确定性。我们建议开发一个基于网络的平台，使遥测产品的用户和生产者可以快速发布和交流他们的经验。
The rapid pace of the development of satellite wildlife tracking tools has left little time for thorough testing of new equipment and identifying possible sources of technical failures. In the Gobi and Eastern Steppe region of Mongolia we deployed 98 satellite collars, collecting animal locations using the Doppler based Argos (n = 29) or the global positioning system (GPS; n = 69), on 45 Asiatic wild asses (Equus hemionus), 34 Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa), 15 Przewalski’s horses (E. ferus przewalskii), eight wild Bactrian camels (Camelus ferus), and two wolves (Canis lupus). Although, we collected valuable data from little-known species in a remote environment, of 98 collars deployed, only 29 worked as good as or better than expected whereas 69 were subject to technical problems. The majority of problems had to do with a reduced performance of the Argos component (n = 12), with both the Argos and the GPS components (n = 1), or with the Argos component in combination with another unknown problem (n = 12). Further problems were caused by human error during manufacturing or deployment (n = 10), software bugs (n = 7), mechanical failures (n = 5), poor GPS performance (n = 1) and premature failures for unknown reasons (3 ≤ n ≤ 21). The better performance of Argos only collars on Mongolian gazelles and of collars not attached to an animal suggest that a large body mass reduces the Argos signal below a critical threshold. Consequently, we presently would not recommend the use of collars depending on an Argos unit for data collection or transfer on large bodied ungulates in central Asia. Although, several premature failures may have been caused by animals being poached, our failure rate remains high and indicates that managers and researchers need to be aware that there is a high risk of equipment failure when applying newly emerging satellite tracking technology. This implies logistic and financial uncertainties which may be difficult to explain to the scientific community, the public, management- and funding agencies alike. We recommend the development of a web-based platform where users and producers of telemetry products can quickly post and exchange their experiences.