Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36302036›Full record

ArticlePloS one2022

Affordable RFID loggers for monitoring animal movement, activity, and behaviour.

Natasha Dean Harrison, Ella L Kelly

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Natasha Dean HarrisonSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5779-0187
Ella L KellySchool of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Effective conservation management strategies require accurate information on the movement patterns and behaviour of wild animals. To collect these data, researchers are increasingly turning to remote sensing technology such as radio-frequency identification (RFID). RFID technology is a powerful tool that has been widely implemented in ecological research to identify and monitor unique individuals, but it bears a substantial price tag, restricting this technology to generously-funded disciplines and projects. To overcome this price hurdle, we provide detailed step-by-step instructions to source the components for, and construct portable RFID loggers in house, at a fraction of the cost (~5%) of commercial RFID units. Here, we assess the performance of these RFID loggers in the field and describe their application in two studies of Australian mammal species; monitoring nest-box use in the Northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) and observing the foraging habits of quenda (Isoodon fusciventer) at feeding stations. The RFID loggers performed well, identifying quenda in >80% of visits, and facilitating the collection of individual-level behavioural data including common metrics such as emergence time, latency to approach, and foraging effort. While the technology itself is not novel, by lowering the cost per unit, our loggers enabled greater sample sizes, increasing statistical power from 0.09 to 0.75 in the quoll study. Further, we outline and provide solutions to the limitations of this design. Our RFID loggers proved an innovative method for collecting accurate behavioural and movement data. With their ability to successfully identify individuals, the RFID loggers described here can act as an alternative or complementary tool to camera traps. These RFID loggers can also be applied in a wide variety of projects which range from monitoring animal welfare or demographic traits to studies of anti-predator responses and animal personality, making them a valuable addition to the modern ecologists' toolkit.

Indexed as

Radio Frequency Identification DeviceAnimalsAustraliaMammalsMonitoring, PhysiologicMovement

Identifiers

PMID36302036
PMCPMC9612574

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.