Increasing Detection by Reducing Disturbance and Excluding Nontarget Small Mammal Species: An Occupancy Study Approach

Abstract Track tubes are a noninvasive, efficient method to monitor populations of small mammals that can be implemented on a large landscape scale and are a cost-effective approach for certain sampling situations. As with all field sampling tools, modifications are made depending on research objectives, habitat being sampled, and target species. We conducted two experiments with the objective to increase efficiency and decrease labor while retaining high detection probabilities as part of an Annual Multi-Agency Regional Southeastern Beach Mouse Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris Habitat Occupancy Survey. We conducted studies along a contiguous 72-km coastline of the Cape Canaveral Barrier Island Complex in east-central Florida, USA, that includes the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Canaveral National Seashore. We conducted the experiments to address several issues that had regularly compromised our survey data. One experiment assessed the ideal length of deployment times for t...