Rovers minimize human disturbance in research on wild animals
- 2 November 2014
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Methods
- Vol. 11 (12), 1242-1244
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.3173
Abstract
Investigating wild animals while minimizing human disturbance remains an important methodological challenge. When approached by a remote-operated vehicle (rover) which can be equipped to make radio-frequency identifications, wild penguins had significantly lower and shorter stress responses (determined by heart rate and behavior) than when approached by humans. Upon immobilization, the rover-unlike humans-did not disorganize colony structure, and stress rapidly ceased. Thus, rovers can reduce human disturbance of wild animals and the resulting scientific bias.Keywords
This publication has 23 references indexed in Scilit:
- Coping with continuous human disturbance in the wild: insights from penguin heart rate response to various stressorsBMC Ecology, 2012
- Active territory defence at a low energy cost in a colonial seabirdAnimal Behaviour, 2011
- Adult survival and population growth rate in Colorado big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus)Journal of Mammalogy, 2011
- Reliability of flipper-banded penguins as indicators of climate changeNature, 2011
- Human disturbance alters endocrine and immune responses in the Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)Hormones and Behavior, 2010
- Heart rate as a predictor of energy expenditure in undisturbed fasting and incubating penguinsJournal Of Experimental Biology, 2010
- Development of a flatbed passive integrated transponder antenna grid for continuous monitoring of fishes in natural streamsJournal of Fish Biology, 2009
- Physiological and reproductive consequences of human disturbance in Humboldt penguins: The need for species-specific visitor managementBiological Conservation, 2006
- Bird Reactions to Observer Clothing Color: Implications for Distance-Sampling TechniquesThe Journal of Wildlife Management, 1997
- Artificial eggs: Measuring heart rate and effects of disturbance in nesting penguinsPhysiology & Behavior, 1996