Possibilities of Studying the Fauna and Population of Terrestrial Vertebrates of Mountain Wastelands Using Camera Traps from the Example of the Eastern Part of Tukuringa Ridge

Abstract

The application of camera traps to study the fauna and population of terrestrial vertebrates of the mountain wastelands of the Zeiskii State Nature Reserve, which occupies the eastern part of the Tukuringra Ridge, is described. An original method of counting mammals using camera traps was used, where the final indicator is the load on the area of the photo–video recording zone per unit of time, expressed as the number of individuals per unit area (Podolsky et al., 2020). Extreme habitat conditions (lack of moisture during the growing season, frequent storm winds, etc.), along with seasonal migrations and periodic food concentrations, determine the characteristics of the animal population of mountain wastelands and the difficulties of studying it; the use of standard observation methods is insufficient. Nine cameras were installed: eight in mountain tundra with clumps of dwarf pine, and one in the subalpine Ayan spruce forest, at the intersection of animal trails. For mammals, population densities estimated from camera trap data were compared with multi-day censuses and other standard methods to assess the feasibility of using the method for censuses of different species. It has been shown that, in mountain wasteland conditions, it is optimal for recording the main parameters (population density, timing) of summer–autumn food concentrations of brown bears (Ursus arctos) and is also applicable for recording several other species of animals: the white hare (Lepus timidus), lynxes, and probably wolverines. The proposed method of accounting on bare mountains is not applicable to sable (Martes zibellina), the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), and the Asian chipmunk (Eutamias sibiricus). The population density of the mentioned species, calculated using camera trap data, turned out to be several orders of magnitude lower than that obtained using standard methods. The described method is also not suitable for determining the number of birds. At the same time, the analysis of the footage from the installed cameras allowed us to expand the list of bird species regularly visiting the mountain wastelands, as well as to supplement the list of the avifauna of the Zeiskii Reserve: the Eurasian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) and the Asian rosy finch (Leucosticte arctoa) were noted for the first time. The natural features of the upper altitude zones of the Tukringra ridge, the specifics of organizing research in extreme conditions, the technical capabilities of modern automatic cameras, and the developed census methodology determine the significant prospects for using camera traps to study the fauna and population of animals and birds of the mountain wastelands of the Zeiskii State Nature Reserve.