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Brigham Young University

Western North American Naturalist

2021

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A Simple Method For Restraint Of Small Mammals For Sampling Blood Or Tissue In The Field, John L. Orrock May 2021

A Simple Method For Restraint Of Small Mammals For Sampling Blood Or Tissue In The Field, John L. Orrock

Western North American Naturalist

Because wild rodents often harbor zoonotic pathogens that can be transmitted via saliva, urine, or feces (e.g., hantaviruses), researchers can be at risk when collecting rodent blood or tissue samples that are required for innumerable assays (e.g., infection status, hormone assays, etc.). I describe how inexpensive, readily available 50-mL centrifuge tubes can be easily modified to create a handling tube for the safe restraint of small rodents while a blood and/or tissue sample is collected from the tail. This approach has been used to successfully sample thousands of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), the primary host for Sin Nombre …


Estimating Abundance Of Desert Mule Deer Using Fecal Dna–Based Capture-Recapture, Stephen S. Pfeiler, Mary M. Conner, Jane S. Mckeever, Rachel S. Crowhurst, Clinton W. Epps, Gerald P. Mulcahy, Erin P. Meredith, Thomas R. Stephenson May 2021

Estimating Abundance Of Desert Mule Deer Using Fecal Dna–Based Capture-Recapture, Stephen S. Pfeiler, Mary M. Conner, Jane S. Mckeever, Rachel S. Crowhurst, Clinton W. Epps, Gerald P. Mulcahy, Erin P. Meredith, Thomas R. Stephenson

Western North American Naturalist

Wildlife conservationists and managers often need to estimate abundance and demographic parameters to monitor the status of populations, and to ensure that these populations are meeting management goals. DNA capture-recapture surveys have become increasingly common in situations where physical surveys are consistently difficult or counts are small or variable. Desert mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus eremicus) inhabit rugged terrain, occur at low population densities, and demonstrate cryptic behaviors, making monitoring and assessing population status difficult. We assessed the effectiveness of a fecal DNA–based capture-recapture method for estimating abundance and survival of desert mule deer. We designed and implemented a …