A trail camera imagery dataset of contrasting shrub and open microsites within the Carrizo Plain National Monument, San Luis Obispo County, California

Abstract

BackgroundCarrizo Plain National Monument is one of the largest remaining patches of San Joaquin Desert left within the Central Valley of California. It is home to many threatened and endangered species including the San Joaquin kit fox, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and giant kangaroo rat. The dominant plant lifeform is shrubs. The species Ephedra californica comprises a major proportion of the community within this region and likely also provides key ecosystem services. We used motion sensor trail cameras to examine interactions between animals and these shrubs. This technology is a less invasive alternative to other animal surveying methods such as line transects, radio tracking, and spotlight surveys. Cameras were placed within the shrub understory and in the open (i.e. non-canopied) microhabitats at ground level to estimate animal activity.\n\nFindingsTrail cameras were successful in detecting the presence of animal species at shrub and open microhabitats. A total of 20 cameras were deployed from April 1st, 2015 to July 5th, 2015 at paired shrub/open microsites at three locations along Elkhorn Road in Carrizo Plain National Monument (35.1914{degrees} N, 119.7929{degrees} W). Each independent site was approximately 1 km2. Over 440,000 pictures (both of animals and triggers from vegetation moving in the wind) were taken during this time. The trigger rate was very high on the medium sensitivity camera setting in this desert ecosystem, and the rates did not differ between shrub and open microsites. The raw data (.jpeg images) are publicly available for download from GigaDB.\n\nConclusionsMotion sensor trail cameras are an effective, non-invasive alternative survey method for collecting data on presence/absence of desert animals. We detected mammals, reptiles, birds, and also insects in 0.4% of the images. We also successfully detected the Federally-listed blunt-nosed leopard lizard. A more extensive array of cameras within the Carrizo Plain National Monument could thus be an effective tool to estimate the presence of this species along with the presence of other animals.