Turning Passive Detection Systems into Field Experiments: An Application Using Wetland Fishes and Enclosures to Track Fine-Scale Movement and Habitat Choice

Authors

Jennifer S. Rehage, Earth & Environment Department, Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International UniversityFollow
Ross E. Boucek, Earth & Environment Department, Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International UniversityFollow
E. A. Cline, Everglades Systems Assessment, South Florida Water Management DistrictFollow
M. I. Cook, Everglades Systems Assessment, South Florida Water Management DistrictFollow
R. M. Kobza, Everglades Systems Assessment, South Florida Water Management District
Amartya Saha, Earth & Environment Department, Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International UniversityFollow

Abstract

Understanding habitat selection and movement remains a key question in behavioral ecology. Yet, obtaining a sufficiently high spatiotemporal resolution of the movement paths of organisms remains a major challenge, despite recent technological advances. Observing fine-scale movement and habitat choice decisions in the field can prove to be difficult and expensive, particularly in expansive habitats such as wetlands. We describe the application of passive integrated transponder (PIT) systems to field enclosures for tracking detailed fish behaviors in an experimental setting. PIT systems have been applied to habitats with clear passageways, at fixed locations or in controlled laboratory and mesocosm settings, but their use in unconfined habitats and field-based experimental setups remains limited. In an Everglades enclosure, we continuously tracked the movement and habitat use of PIT-tagged centrarchids across three habitats of varying depth and complexity using multiple flatbed antennas for 14 days. Fish used all three habitats, with marked species-specific diel movement patterns across habitats, and short-lived movements that would be likely missed by other tracking techniques. Findings suggest that the application of PIT systems to field enclosures can be an insightful approach for gaining continuous, undisturbed and detailed movement data in unconfined habitats, and for experimentally manipulating both internal and external drivers of these behaviors.

Comments

The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10211-013-0154-4

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program under Cooperative Agreements #DBI-0620409 and #DEB-9910514. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Recommended Citation

Rehage, J.S., R. Boucek, E. Cline, M.I. Cook, R.M. Kobza, A.K. Saha. 2013. Turning passive detection systems into field experiments: an application using wetland fishes and enclosures to track fine-scale movement and habitat choice. Acta Ethologica DOI: 10.1007/s10211-013-0154-4