Comparison of Deer Censusing Methods in Tropical Dry Forest

Author(s): Salvador Mandujano and Sonia Gallina

Source: Wildlife Society Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 2, (Summer, 1995), pp. 180-186
Published by: Allen Press
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Tropicaldeer censusing

Comparisonof deer censusing methods in

tropical dry forest

Salvador Mandujano and Sonia Gallina

Abstract We estimatedwhite-taileddeer (Odocoileus virginianus)populationdensity by 3 methods
(track count, pellet group count, and direct count on transects) from July 1989-June 1991
in tropical dry forest (TDF) in Jalisco, Mexico. Deer observations varied between seasons
and years, suggesting that the nonparametric model based on the Fourier series was the
most appropriate for estimating deer density using line transects in tropical habitat.
Estimated density varied up to 1 7-fold (1.6-27.6 deer/km2) among methods. The transect
method produced more precise results in the wet season, whereas the track count method
produced more precise results in the dry season. The greatest disadvantage of track and
pellet counts in TDF was lack of conversion factors to estimate population density from
counts. Conversely, the main advantage of the direct count method on line transects was
that no conversion factor was required. Each method produced similar results seasonally
with respect to relative density. Therefore, they can be used as indices to detect changes
in population over time.

Key words census, density, Odocoileus virginianus, tropical deciduous forest, white-tailed deer

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) man- each method for this type of habitat, and (3) select
agement is common in North America (McCullough the most precise method.
1982). In contrast, management of this species in
tropical areas is minimal even when it is an impor-
tant food source or hunting trophy (Leopold 1959, Study area
Mendez 1982). Knowing the number of individuals This study was conducted in the Chamela
in an area as well as the carrying capacity of the Biological Station, which is operated by the
habitat are basic to the management of deer popu- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. The
lations. Nevertheless, there is little information 1,600-ha station is located on the southwest coast in
about density of deer in tropical habitats (Eisenberg the state of Jalisco, Mexico; elevations range from
and Thorington 1973, Eisenberg 1980, Brokx 30-500 m. The region is characterized by irregular
1982). topography. Mean annual temperature is 25?C, with
In 1989, we began studying white-tailed deer in a May through September the hottest months. From
tropical dry forest on the Mexican Pacific Coast. The 1977-1984, temperature maxima and minima were
objective was to learn the dynamics and habitat use 29-32?C and 15-23?C, respectively. Mean annual
of deer in this habitat. We needed a census method precipitation is 748 mm (SD = 119), with 80%of the
that would precisely estimate population in this type rain falling during July-October. Rainfall occurs in
of habitat. Thus, the following objectives were iden- the wet season from July-November; the dry season
tified: (1) compare density estimates from 3 methods is from December-June (Bullock 1986).
(pellet group counts, track counts, and direct count The dominant vegetation is tropical dry forest
of animals on a transect); (2) analyze suitability of (TDF) located on hilly terrain with thin soils. Forest

Address for authors: Departamento de Ecologfa y Comportamiento Animal, Instituto de

Ecologfa, AP 63, Xalapa 91000, Veracruz,
Mexico.

WildlifeSocietyBulletin1995, 23(2):180-186 Peer refereed

 Tropical deer censusing * Mandujano and Gallina 181

height varies between 4 and 15 m, has a well-devel- server and the position of the deer was measured
oped understory, and numerous tree species lose (Behrend and Lubeck 1968).
their leaves during the dry season (Lott et al. 1987). Data analysis. Density (Dd, deer/km2) was cal-
Some of the most common trees are botoncillo culated as:
(Cordia alliodora [Ruiz and Pav.] Oken), vara blanca
(Lonchocarpus lanceolatus Benth.), and iguanero Dd D nf(0)
2L
2L
(Caesalpinia eriostachys Benth.).
The station also has semideciduous tropical forest where n is the number of detections, f() is the prob-
(STF) ranging from 10-25 m in height. This forest abilistic function of density at 0 m of perpendicular
type is found along main streams and in protected distance, and L is the total length (km) of transect.
places on deep soils. The most common trees in this To estimatef(0) and the standard error (SE), we used
type of forest are culebro (Astronium graveolens the Fourier series model from the program TRAN-
Jacq.), mojote (Brosimum alicastrum Sw.), and tem- SECT(Burnham et al. 1980). Because low numbers
pisque (Sideroxylon capiri A. DC.). Mangroves of deer were detected monthly on all transects, we
(Rhizophora spp.), palm groves, and thorny sec- pooled observations for various months. We calcu-
ondary scrub surround the station. lated the density for the wet season and the dry sea-
Field work was restricted to the 500 ha of the sta- son for each year. Student's t-test was performed to
tion reserved for research. Over 75% of this area is detect between-season differences. We performed
TDF. Within the TDF are patches of taller trees that an independence test using a 3-dimension contin-
lose leaves later in the dry season. Because these gency table (Sokal and Rohlf 1969) to determine
areas are limited to a few meters on either side of gul- whether there was a relationship among distance
lies, they are not really STF. Therefore, we refer to deer were detected (0-10 m or >10 m), habitat (TDF
them as arroyo vegetation (AV). or STF),and season (dry or wet).

Deer track counts

Methods Data collection. Six to 15 transects (x = 9) were
Counts along transects established to count sets of deer tracks in each sam-
Data collection. Five to 8 line transects (LT)were pling month. Each transect was 500-m long x 0.9-m
established along roads each month. Though the wide and was located on roads. Deer tracks were
placement of the transect lines should be random counted along the same transects as the deer were
(Burnham et al. 1980), dense understory of the study counted, but on different days. The day before count-
area prohibited randomly placing long transects. ing, we cleaned transects of old tracks and prepared
Therefore, we used existing roads. Of the total them by removing leaf litter and loosening the earth
length of these roads, 74% crossed TDF; the rest (Daniel and Frels 1971). Transects were only located
crossed STF. Total transect length varied from 6-11 where conditions for leaving tracks were suitable.
km (x = 9.1 km) each month. Transects were walked Transects were disregardedif vehicles passed during a
(1-2 km/hour) by 1 person between 0700-1200 and count period. After 24 hours, we counted sets of deer
1600-2000, 2-4 times/month. Deer are very active tracks crossing transects in any direction (Tyson
in this area during the day, probably because of lim- 1959). We counted tracks during the wet seasons of
ited hunting. Data were collected during the wet sea- 1989 and 1990 and the dry seasons of 1990 and 1991.
sons of 1989 and 1990 and during the dry seasons of Data analysis. To convert deer tracks into ani-
1990 and 1991. mal density (Dt), we modified Tyson's (1959) model
When a deer was detected, we tried to measure ei- to calculate deer/km2. The formula was:
ther of the following: the perpendicular distance of H
the animal from the transect or the angle and radial
Lmn
distance of the observer from the animal. However, Dt=
it was not always possible to locate the exact position 2.59 '
of animals when they were first detected. As such, it where H is the number of deer tracks, Lm is the total
was necessary to include observations in interval number of miles covered, and 2.59 is a metric con-
classes. All observations were grouped into 4 per- version factor to obtain deer/km2 from deer/mi2. Lm
pendicular distance classes: 0-10 m, 11-20 m, 21-30 was calculated by multiplying the number of tran-
m, and 31-40 m. To measure flight distance, deer de- sects by 0.5 km and dividing by 1.6 km. Monthly es-
tected ahead on the road were slowly approached timates were average daily counts in each month.
until they fled, and the distance between the ob- Seasonal estimates were calculated considering each
 182 Wildlife Society Bulletin 1995, 23(2):180-186

month as a repetition. The normal distribution cal- (Neu et al. 1974). A 1-way analysis of variance
culated for each season fit the data (P < 0.10). (ANOVA)was used to determine if there were differ-
Therefore, standard errors were estimated for this ences in estimates between methods. An a posteri-
distribution (Sokal and Rohlf 1969). Student's t-test ori Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) test was per-
was used to determine if there were wet versus dry formed for a multiple comparison among means.
season differences.

Pellet group count Results

Data collection. We randomly established 6 tran- We saw 177 deer along 418 km of transects (Table
sects that were 400-m long with 40 plots (9.3 m2) 1). Sixty to 67%of the deer were detected from 0-10
placed at 10-m intervals (Ezcurra and Gallina 1981). m perpendicularto the transect, after which sightings
Fifty percent of the plots were within TDF, 27% decreased (Fig. 1 ). We detected 0-9% from 31-40 m.
within STF, and 23%within AV. Pellet deposit time No deer were observed >40 m perpendicular from
was controlled by cleaning each plot of old excre- transect. Frequencyof detection histogramswere sim-
ment. Plots were sampled by 2-5 people 50-90 days ilar for the dry seasons of both years, while those for
after being established. We sampled only during the the wet seasons showed more variation. Averageflight
1990 and 1991 dry seasons. distance between observer and deer was 23 m (n = 12,
Data analysis. To convert pellet groups to animal range 11-50 m). Perpendiculardistance at which deer
density (Dp), we used Eberhardt and Van Etten's were detected was independent of the habitat (G =
(1956) model. The formulato calculate deer/km2was: 2.39, 1 df, P = 0.10) and season (G = 0.77, 3 df, P =
0.75). Mean density was 11.0 deer/km2 (SE = 1.1).
107,527 Pg There was no difference in density estimates in the dry
D
Td Fr versus wet season (Table 2; t = 1.59, 3 df, P = 0.25).
where 107,527 is the number of 9.3-m2plots in 1 km2, We counted 226 sets of deer tracks on 164 tran-
Pg is the mean number of pellet groups/plot, Td is the sects (Table 1). Mean density was 1.6 deer/km2 (SE =
deposit time (days) of the pellet groups, and Fr is the 0.3). Again, there was no difference in densities sea-
defecation rate. The defecation rate used was 12.7 sonally (Table 2; t = 3.16, 3 df, P = 0.09).
groups/day/deer (Eberhardtand Van Etten 1956). We We counted 240 pellet groups in 960 sampling
estimated density for each season by pooling the data plots (Table 1). Deer preferred to defecate in TDF
from the transects. The negative binomial distribution over STF and AV (G = 24.3, 2 df, P = 0.001). Mean
fit the data each year (P < 0.10). The standarderror deer density was 27.6 deer/km2 (SE = 5.0).
formula for the negative binomial distributionwas: We found differences in the estimates provided by
the 3 methods (F = 141.2, 2,7 df, P = 0.001). The
+ Pg2 SNK showed differences in density estimates be-
SE= ,
k tween the 3 methods (P < 0.05). Line transects were
n more precise in the wet season, and track counts
where k is the negative binomial parameter and n the were more precise in the dry season (Table 2).
number of plots.
To determine whether deer defecated differen-
tially in various habitats, habitat availability and use
Discussion and implications
(for TDF, STF, and AV) were analyzed using a G-test The actual number of deer in the area was not
and Bonferroni's intervals with 95%confidence limits known, thus bias relatedto each method cannot be cal-

Table 1. Variables from 3 deer-census methods during 4 sampling seasons from July 1989-June 1991 in a tropical deciduous forest in
Chamela, Jalisco, Mexico. Wet = July-November, Dry = January-June.

Methods Wet, 1989 Dry, 1990 Wet, 1990 Dry, 1991

Line transect Distance (km) 121 114 122 61

n (deer) 52 57 41 27
Track No. transects 22 66 45 31
n (tracks) 27 110 48 41
Pellet group No. plots a 480 480
n (pellet groups) 137 103
a
Method was not used during this period.
 Tropicaldeer censusing * Mandujanoand Gallina 183

fact, it is possible that every deer 0-10 m perpendicular to

the transect were detected with a probability of 1 be-
cause this is less than the deer's estimated flight distance
and any deer within this area would have been detected
60' upon fleeing.
v ..... Assumption 2: "Animals are detected at their initial
50
Z location, prior to any movement in response to the
40/ i observer." This assumption was not always met; 40%
LU of the deer observed at a perpendicular distance >10
U- 30
m flushed before their precise location had been
20 recorded. In fact, it was only because they fled that
dry-1991 we detected some individuals >10 m from the tran-
^ wet-1990
dry-1990 sect (White et al. 1989).
0 / wet-1989
Assumption 3: "Distances are exactly measured."
0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40
DISTANCE(m)
PERPENDICULAR
Given the previous situation, not all distances could
be measured exactly and so distances were grouped.
Fig. 1. Distribution of perpendicular distance of white-tailed deer Assumption 4: "No animal should be counted 2
detection from the transect from July 1989une
98 1991 in a tropical times." We think that this requirement was met as it
deciduous forest in Jalisco, Mexico.
was rare to observe many deer while examining tran-
culated. However, from the beginning we expected sects in the same day.
similarestimates by the 3 methods. If these methods Assumption 5: "Observations are independent
differed in the estimates they provided, then factors events." This relates to 2 aspects of deer surveys:
other than the number of animals could be affecting the flushing 1 animal does not cause another to flush
estimates. Density estimatedfrom pellet counts was 2.4 (Anderson et al. 1979), and transects should be
times greater than line transect, and line transect esti- placed at random. Of the deer observed in this area,
mate was 7.3 tis greater than that for track counts. 61% were solitary individuals, and only females are
Density estimated from pellet counts was as much as known to form groups with their fawns. Male deer
17.4 times greater than the track method. In other stud- have not been observed to form groups, unlike deer
ies of herbivores, different results have been obtained in other areas (Teer et al. 1965, Hirth 1977).
depending on the method used (Downing et al. 1965, Therefore, this assumption was invalid only when we
Coulson and Raines 1985, Bobek et al. 1986, Escos and encountered females with young. Considering the
Alados 1988, Hone 1988, Firchow et al. 1990, Fuller second aspect, even when the transects were not
1991, Storm et al. 1992). This suggests that factors other placed at random, the number of deer detected close
than the number of animals affect estimates. to the transect line (0-10 m) or farther away (>10m)
did not differ in different habitats or seasons, sug-
Assumptions of the methods gesting that any bias was constant.
Line transect method This method has 5 assump- Track method. Tyson's model (1959) has 2 as-
tions (from Burnham et al. 1980). sumptions.
Assumption 1: "Animalsdirectly on the line are always Assumption 1: "The animal passes through the
detected with a probability of 1." In our study we believe same place on consecutive days." This assumption
this assumption was satisfied because visibility on the was met because on various occasions the same indi-
roads made it easy to detect deer before they flushed. In viduals, judging from individual variation, size, age,

Table 2. Estimated density (D) of white-tailed deer, standard error (SE),and percent coefficient of variation (CV) for the line transect,
track, and pellet group methods for 4 seasons between July 1989 and June 1991 in a tropical deciduous forest in Chamela, Jalisco,
Mexico. Wet = July-November, Dry = January-June.

Wet, 1989 Dry, 1990 Wet, 1990 Dry, 1991

Methods D SE CV D SE CV D SE CV D SE CV

Line transect 9.6 1.6 16.1 14.9 2.6 17.3 9.0 1.4 15.6 10.6 2.2 21.3
Track 1.4 0.3 20.2 2.0 0.3 14.1 1.3 0.3 22.0 1.7 0.2 11.3
a 6.7 24.7
Pellet group 28.1 3.8 13.5 27.1

a
Method was not used during this period.
 184 Wildlife Society Bulletin 1995, 23(2):180-186

sex, and shape of antlers, were observed in the same area. According to Burnham et al. (1980), 110 km of
place on consecutive days. transect is needed to estimate with a precision of
Assumption 2: "Dailyactivity is restricted to a di- 10%, or 30 km for 20% precision in the same month.
ameter of 1.6 km" (Tyson 1959). The methodology in In small areas such as that studied here, it is not pos-
this study did not allow us to confirm this assumption. sible to establish long transects, so it is necessary to
Variation in the size of home ranges have important replicate over time. Therefore, only 1 estimate/sea-
consequences on the daily movements of deer (Tyson son is possible.
1959). But there is little information about the pattern Low visibility often made it difficult to see ex-
of daily activity and the extent of the home range of actly where the animal was before it fled. For this
this species in tropical dry habitats. reason, during field work it was necessary to
Pellet group method. There are 4 central as- arrange the observations in perpendicular class in-
sumptions in the pellet group count (Eberhardt and tervals. This practice is not recommended
Van Etten 1956). (Burnham et al. 1980).
Assumption 1: "The mean defecation rate of indi- Track method. Track counting has been used as
viduals is 12.7 groups/day." This assumption is the an abundance index (Tyson 1959, Jenkins and
most critical for converting the number of pellet Marchinton 1969, Mooty et al. 1984). However, it has
groups into deer density (Neff 1968). Defecation rate not been used in tropical habitats. In TDF, the appli-
for deer in TDF is not known. cation of this method was relatively simple. Contrary
Assumption 2: "Time of pellet deposition is to results obtained by Harlow and Downing (1967),
known" (Eberhardt and Van Etten 1956). This as- we did not find a day-to-dayvariation in the number
sumption was satisfied because the maximum time of of tracks. At present, the main problem is that the
deposition was known for each transect. variability in daily extent of deer movement and the
Assumption 3: "Pellet groups are correctly identi- size of their home ranges in this type of habitat is not
fied and none are lost from the sampling plots" known. When this is known, we can modify Tyson's
(Eberhardt and Van Etten 1956). Loss of pellet model for application in TDF.
groups was minimal because there was no activity of Pellet count method. This method is widely used
coprophagous beetles during the dry season and the in temperate habitats (Wallmo et al. 1962, Van Etten
plots were inspected by 2-5 people. and Bennett 1965, Neff 1968, Jenkins and
Assumption 4: "Plotsize and shape are efficient for Marchinton 1969). An important factor for convert-
a precise count" (Eberhardtand Van Etten 1956). In ing number of pellet groups to deer density is the
our study, previously analyzed plot form and size defecation rate (Neff 1968). Eberhardt and Van
were used (Smith 1968). Etten's model (1956) uses a mean rate of 12.7
groups/day/deer. However, higher rates have been
Advantages and limitations reported (Rogers 1987, Sawyer et al. 1990).
Line transect methodL The line transect method In TDF, this method can be used only during the
has seldom been used in tropical habitats (Eisenberg dry season when the vegetation allows transects to
and Thorington 1973, Glanz 1982, Karanth and be established. During the wet season, the under-
Sunquist 1992). The main advantage of using LT in story is extremely dense and very difficult to tra-
TDF is that, unlike the track and pellet group meth- verse. Neff (1968) suggested that plots be located
ods, LT does not require specific assumptions about as far away from each other as possible along the
deer biology such as defecation rate or daily move- transect to avoid counting pellets from the same in-
ment in a particulararea. In our study, Fourier series dividuals. In our study area, this was not practical.
might be appropriate for estimating deer density in Establishing a 400-m transect with 40 plots that
TDF because the detection histograms varied among were separated by 10 m required an average of 4
seasons and years. This results from the change in vis- hours of walking by 2 people. Further separation of
ibility through the vegetation seasonally and from the plots increased the time and effort required for
changes in deer activity (Mandujano1992). The main sampling. The critical variable for this method is
difficulties with the LTin TDF are outlined below. the rate of defecation, which is not known for TDF.
The recommended sample size (n > 40, Burnham In our study area as in other places (Neff 1968,
et al. 1980) was not obtained in any month of this Ezcurraand Gallina 1981, Fuller 1991), deer tend to
study because visibility was low along the sides of the defecate in specific sites, normally close to their
roads (<40 m) and the transects were short (<11 km). resting spots. Even though the deer preferred TDF,
Thus, it was not possible to obtain a precise density we believe there was no overestimation in our ex-
estimate in the same month (<10%) for the study trapolation.
 Tropical deer censusing * Mandujano and Gallina 185

We are grateful to R. Dirzo, E. sis of a neotropical mammal fauna. Biotropica 5:150-161.

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Salvador Mandujano (left) is a Research Associate in the

Department of Animal Ecology and Behavior of the Instituto de ceived a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the
Ecologia, Xalapa, Mexico. He received a B.S. in Biology from the Universidad Nacionat Autdnoma de Mexico. She is a member of
Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Mexico and an M.S. in SNI, and her research interests include mammal ecology, man-
Biological Sciences from the Universidad Nacional Aut6noma de agement, and conservation.
Mexico. He is a member of the National Researcher System (SNI),
and his research interests are ecology and conservation of ungu-
lates, animal-plant interactions, and ethnobiology. Sonia Gallina Received July 1993.
(right) is a Research Titular in the Department of Animal Ecology Accepted 28June 1994.
and Behavior of the Institutode Ecologfa, Xalapa, Mexico. She re- Associate Editor: Feldhamer.