91制片厂

Despite more than 1 million moose (Alces alces) living in North America, with approximately 3,000鈥�4,000 located in New Hampshire, the usually shy animal is notoriously difficult to spot. However, the region鈥檚 largest land mammal plays an important cultural and ecological role in the area, influencing tourism and impacting forest and wildlife composition where it feeds but also being vectors of parasites and diseases and involved in approximately . As such, accurately tracking and estimating moose populations is key to conserving and managing the species, and new research led by scientist assessed how emerging technologies may help improve population calculations of this animal introvert.

Moll, an assistant professor of natural resources and the environment at the , and members of his assessed 89 moose population studies and the methods used by each to determine which approach most accurately estimated population and density. They published their findings in journal. Traditionally, moose population density has been measured with winter aerial surveying using helicopters. However, alternative approaches, such as surveys of hunters鈥� harvests, unpiloted aerial systems (drones) and camera trapping, are being used more frequently.

The research found that aerial surveying was used in more than half of the assessed studies, as was 鈥渟ightability鈥濃�攕urveying in which moose were actually seen and identified. Assessments that did not account for 鈥渟ightability鈥� likely underestimated moose population density, often due to the wide range that moose often inhabit鈥攗pwards of 40 square miles in the summer and less than 15 miles in the winter鈥攖hat makes estimating species density challenging, Moll explained.

鈥淎ccounting for sightability involves formally adjusting estimates to count moose that were present but not detected,鈥� described Moll. 鈥淎lthough some studies make this adjustment, almost half did not, which suggests that many estimates might be undercounts.鈥�

鈥淲e also found that moose, in general, are a low-density species, with some of the highest population densities in the world located in Maine,鈥� he added.

The team included scientists from the and the . Moll and his coauthors reported that emerging technologies, such as camera trapping, drone surveying and integrated population models鈥攖he latter of which provide population estimates based on combining multiple datasets鈥攃ould complement aerial surveying to provide more accurate density estimates.

鈥淭hese technologies provide exciting new avenues to study this iconic species. We鈥檙e excited to be partnering with New Hampshire Fish and Game to implement drone surveying and camera trapping in the state.鈥�

鈥淲e want the best possible information on moose to help inform their management and conservation,鈥� added Moll. 鈥淭hese technologies provide exciting new avenues to study this iconic species. We鈥檙e excited to be partnering with New Hampshire Fish and Game to implement drone surveying and camera trapping in the state.鈥�

This material is based on work supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station through joint funding from the (under Hatch award numbers 1024128) and the state of New Hampshire. This work is co-authored by Remington Moll, Mairi Poisson, David Heit, Henry Jones, Peter Pekins and Lee Kantar.

You can read the published article, , in .