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Methods of estimating ungulate populations in tropical forests
Author(s) -
KOSTER STANLEY H.,
HART JOHN A.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2028.1988.tb00962.x
Subject(s) - ungulate , abundance (ecology) , evergreen forest , transect , relative species abundance , population , ecology , pellet , geography , biology , habitat , evergreen , demography , sociology
Summary Pellet group counts, drive counts and track counts were used to estimate population abundances of one small and four large species of duiker ( Cephalophus sp.) in a moist evergreen forest in northeastern Zaire. Procedures to develop estimates based on line transect counts of pellet groups are described. The Fourier Series estimator proved to be useful for estimating densities of pellet groups. Comparisons were made between population abundance in heavily and lightly hunted areas, and between small and large species. The three census methods were consistent in showing no significant difference between animal abundance in the hunted populations or between abundances of the smaller species relative to the larger species. All methods showed potential as population indices for assessing trends of rare and elusive species in forest environments. Drive counts and pellet group counts may also be useful for estimating densities.