Occurrence of Bornean Mammals in Two Commercial Forest Reserves and Characteristics
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Template B v3.0 (beta): Created by J. Nail 06/2015 Occurrence of Bornean mammals in two commercial forest reserves and characteristics that influence their detectability By TITLE PAGE Seth Timothy Wong A Document Type. Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Mississippi State, Mississippi December 2017 Copyright by COPYRIGHT PAGE Seth Timothy Wong 2017 Occurrence of Bornean mammals in two commercial forest reserves and characteristics that influence their detectability By APPROVAL PAGE Seth Timothy Wong Approved: ____________________________________ Jerrold L. Belant (Major Professor) ____________________________________ Rahel Sollmann (Committee Member) ____________________________________ Garrett M. Street (Committee Member) ____________________________________ Kevin M. Hunt (Graduate Coordinator) ____________________________________ George M. Hopper Dean College of Forest Resources Name: Seth Timothy Wong ABSTRACT Date of Degree: December 8, 2017 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Major Professor: Jerrold L Belant Title of Study: Occurrence of Bornean mammals in two commercial forest reserves and characteristics that influence their detectability Pages in Study: 47 Candidate for Degree of Master of Science The Southeast Asian island of Borneo boasts an incredible diversity of terrestrial mammals which is threatened by habitat loss. Understanding the abundance and distribution of these species is essential for conservation and management. We assessed the occurrence of terrestrial mammals within two commercial forest reserves in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. In particular, we investigated the habitat associations of the Sunda stink-badger, whose patchy distribution is not well understood. To improve detection probability and precision of model parameters, we deployed 2 camera-traps at sample stations. Our results showed that Sunda stink-badgers are likely dietary and habitat generalists, that may benefit from forest disturbance. Additionally, we found that unguligrade species were associated with high detection probability when data from one camera trap was considered and inclusion of a second camera further increased the detectability of ungulates compared to all other species. We suggest that future studies consider physical characteristics of focal species to maximize effectiveness of camera effort and ensure that data collection is efficient and meets project needs. DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my family, Samson and Frances Wong, for their unconditional love and never-ending support in all my aspirations. To Linda Micke and friends, mentors, and colleagues at the San Francisco Zoo for their guidance, patience, and overwhelming support. Finally, I dedicate this thesis to the Hose’s Civet and Small Carnivore Project, Borneo team. I would not be where and who I am today without all of you. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank Jerry Belant for giving me this opportunity and guiding me throughout this process. I am also grateful to my committee members, Rahel Sollmann and Garrett Street, for their guidance and comments in writing this thesis. I thank the Sabah Biodiversity Center for issuing a research permit and my local collaborator, Johnny Kissing, along with all the staff from the Sabah Forestry Department for their active involvement and contributions to the field work. Thanks to Andreas Wilting, Azlan Mohamed, John Mathai, and Jurgen Niedballa for their mentorship and giving me the opportunity to work in the field. My appreciation goes to all local field assistants, Azrie Petrus, Alex Petrus, Bandy Marinson, Jereo Jaimin, Jeffendy Juari, Jacklan Juari, Roslen Husin, Reyner Rupin, Alex de Jellson Julis, and Ladwin Rupin, without whom this work would not be possible. This project was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Fieldwork was supported by the San Francisco Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium through the Dr. Holly Reed Conservation Fund. Underlying RapidEye data was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy and contributed on behalf of the German Aerospace Center. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 References .............................................................................................................5 II. HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS OF THE SUNDA STINK-BADGER MYDAUS JAVANENSIS IN THREE FOREST RESERVES IN SABAH, MALAYSIAN BORNEO.....................................................................7 Introduction ...........................................................................................................7 Methods .................................................................................................................8 Results .................................................................................................................13 Discussion ............................................................................................................14 References ...........................................................................................................22 III. INFLUENCE OF BODY MASS, SOCIALITY, AND MOVEMENT BEHAVIOR ON IMPROVED DETECTION PROBABILIES WHEN USING A SECOND CAMERA TRAP ............................................................25 Introduction .........................................................................................................25 Methods ...............................................................................................................27 Study area ......................................................................................................27 Camera survey ...............................................................................................28 Data preparation ............................................................................................28 Occupancy modeling .....................................................................................29 Influence of species traits ..............................................................................30 Results .................................................................................................................31 Discussion ............................................................................................................32 References ...........................................................................................................42 iv LIST OF TABLES 2.1 Mean, standard deviation (SD), and range of values for habitat covariates collected during 2008–2010 and 2014–2015 from three study designs conducted in three forest reserves: Deramakot, Tangkulap-Pinangah, and Segaliud Lokan; Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. ...............................................................................18 2.2 Parameter estimates from candidate models for detection and occupancy of Sunda stink-badgers from surveys in Deramakot Forest Reserve (DFR), Tangkulap-Pinangah Forest Reserve (TPFR), and Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve (SLFR), Sabah, Malaysia during years 2008–2010 and 2014–2015. Bold models only represent best supported models based on difference in Akaike’s Information Criterion score (ΔAIC). SE = standard error; CI = 95% confidence interval. .................................19 3.1 Characteristics for 20 mammalian species with > 10 detections during a camera-trap survey conducted during October–December 2014 in Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo...........37 3.2 Average number of records (± standard deviation [SD]) and sites (± SD) detected for 20 mammal species across 63 stations during a camera-trap survey conducted during October–December 2014 in Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo...........38 3.3 Null occupancy and detection probability estimates and corresponding coefficient of variation (CV) values for 20 mammalian species detected across 63 stations during a camera-trap survey conducted during October–December 2014 in Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. .........................................39 v LIST OF FIGURES 1.1 Location of study areas: Deramakot Forest Reserve and Tangkulap Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. ...........................................4 2.1 Location of three forest reserves on Borneo (black square; inset) and the areas sampled to estimate Sunda stink-badger occupancy during the coarse-grid surveys (October–December 2014 in Deramakot Forest Reserve; May–August 2015 in Tangkulap- Pinangah Forest Reserve), fine-grid survey (January–March 2015), and an earlier survey during 2008–2010. .................................21 3.1 Location of Deramakot Forest Reserve, central Sabah, Malaysian Borneo (black square: inset). ...............................................................41