Using camera trap data in the Peruvian Amazon to examine mammal diversity in an Indigenous conservation area 

This Ready-To-Teach activity was made in collaboration with The Morpho Institute. This non-profit organization supports local to global environmental stewardship through education, conservation, and collaboration focusing on the Peruvian Amazon. Their Educator Academy in the Amazon provides transformative professional development experiences for teachers at all levels.

Background

The Maijuna are an Indigenous people who live in the Peruvian Amazon and are the guardians for nearly a million acres of rainforest. They live closely with the land and depend on forest biodiversity for their survival. Forest mammals are a key part of Maijuna culture and are also an important food source for Maijuna families. Deforestation, climate change, illegal logging, and road development all threaten the populations of mammals that the Maijuna depend on. These game mammal populations are critical to the cultural conservation and survival of the Maijuna as well as the forests they call home. 

The Maijuna are determined to ensure a sustainable future for their forests. A key part of their conservation plan is the sustainable management of their forest resources. FECONAMAI, the Maijuna Federation, teams up with researchers to study wild mammal populations in their ancestral lands. Since it can be difficult and time-consuming to observe wild mammals, these researchers use camera traps to record data on the populations of interest. Camera traps are motion-activated cameras that photograph any animal that passes in front of the camera. The photos are then reviewed to identify which species were captured on camera and how frequently they were recorded in the photos. These data can then be used to answer research questions about biodiversity in the surrounding area and inform the Maijuna’s conservation management plan. 

Part I.

What are the trends in mammal diversity at the different mineral licks?

This dataset was collected using camera traps and records the number of sightings of species of interest within an area of the Peruvian Amazon. Each row in the dataset represents a single observation from a single camera trap.

Mineral licks are naturally occurring areas in the forest where animals come to eat soil in order to obtain essential minerals and clays. Mineral licks are important to Maijuna hunters because they provide a focal point where game species will reliably visit and are a feature of Maijuna traditional stories and knowledge. The camera traps in this study were placed at these mineral lick sites.

The species of interest recorded in the dataset are: 

• Red Brocket Deer

• Lowland Tapir

• Collared Peccary

• Lowland Paca

• Black Agouti

Variables

Species - This categorical variable represents which species was recorded at each camera trap visit. The possible values are Red Brocket Deer, Lowland Tapir, Lowland Paca, Collared Peccary, Black Agouti. 

Scientific Name - This categorical variable represents which species was recorded at each camera trap visit. The possible values are Mazama americana, Tapirus terrestris, Cuniculus paca, Pecari tajacu, Dasyprocta fuliginosa.

Lick - This categorical variable is the name for a specific mineral lick where the scientists placed a camera trap. Each mineral lick with a camera trap is represented with a letter A through L. 

Activity

1) Is there a difference in how frequently each species visits mineral licks? 

Explain your answer by using the data as evidence.

To answer this question make a graph called a frequency plot. Go to the Graph tab. Choose the Histogram/Frequency plot icon on the right hand panel. Show the variable Species on the X axis.

2) Is there a difference in species diversity (# of species) between sites?

Explain your answer by using the data as evidence.

To answer this question you can choose the Histogram/Frequency plot or the flexible Scatter/Box/Bar or Categorical Bubble plot. You can choose these with the graph icons on the right hand panel. 

To make the Histogram/Frequency plot, Show Lick on X and Species on Z. This will color code the data for each species. Try it as a Stacked bar chart by opening the appearance menu.

To make the Categorical Bubble plot, Show Lick on X and Species on Y. 

Part 2:

Is there a relationship between mineral lick size and number of visits by mammals?

This dataset was collected using the same camera traps and records. Each row in the dataset represents the summary for a single mineral lick that camera traps were placed. There is one row per mineral lick (camera trap) in the dataset. 

Variables

Lick - This categorical variable is the name for a specific mineral lick where the scientists placed a camera trap. Each mineral lick with a camera trap is represented with a letter A through K. 

Deer visits - This numeric variable is the number of recorded visits by the Red Brocket Deer at each site.

Tapir visits - This numeric variable is the number of recorded visits by the Lowland Tapir at each site.

Paca visits - This numeric variable is the number of recorded visits by the Lowland Paca at each site.

Agout visits - This numeric variable is the number of recorded visits by the Black Agouti at each site.

Peccary visits - This numeric variable is the number of recorded visits by the Collared Peccary at each site.

Lick Size (square meters) - This numeric variable is the two-dimensional area of the mineral lick, measured in m2.

Activity

1) What is the relationship between Lick Size and number of visits for each species? Make a separate graph for each of the five species to test this. 

To answer this question make a graph called a scatter plot. Go to the Graph tab. Choose the Scatter plot icon on the right hand panel. Show the variable Lick Size on the X axis. Show the visits for each species on the Y-axis. Add the Regression line to help visualize the relationship between your X and Y variables.

Pro tip: You can choose Show for the visit variables for each of the different species and then quickly make and view each of your graphs by changing which of the visit variables is shown on Y. Do this with the control panel to the right of the graph.

2) How is the relationship between Tapir visits and Lick Size different than it is for all of the other four species? 

3) Scientists don’t know for certain why the relationship between Tapir visits and Lick Size exists. State at least one possible reason for the relationship that you observed.

Additional Resources  

More Background on the Maijuna story - Why is this important?

Researcher Note

This dataset was collected by Dr. Brian Griffiths with the help and support of the Maijuna people,  Brian is a Postdoctoral Fellow with George Mason University and the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER). His work examines environmental sustainability and conservation from social, cultural, economic, and ecological perspectives. He has collaborated for several years with the indigenous Maijuna people to study game mammal conservation.

Primary source papers for deeper exploration of related data

Gilmore, M. P., Griffiths, B. M., & Bowler, M. (2020). The socio-cultural significance of mineral licks to the Maijuna of the Peruvian Amazon: Implications for the sustainable management of hunting. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 16(1), 1–10.

Griffiths, B. M. (2020). Assessing the drivers, magnitude, and implications of hunting pressure in an indigenous Amazonian community [Ph.D. Thesis]. George Mason University.

Griffiths, B. M., Bowler, M., Gilmore, M. P., & Luther, D. (2020). Temporal patterns of visitation of birds and mammals at mineral licks in the Peruvian Amazon. Ecology and Evolution, 10(24), 14152–14164.

Griffiths, B. M., Gilmore, M. P., & Bowler, M. (2020). Predation of a Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) by an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) at a mineral lick in the Peruvian Amazon.Food Webs, 24, e00148.

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