J 2015

The BAARA (Biological AutomAted RAdiotracking) System: A New Approach in Ecological Field Studies

ŘEŘUCHA, Šimon, Tomáš BARTONIČKA, Petr JEDLIČKA, Martin ČÍŽEK, Ondřej HLOUŠA et. al.

Basic information

Original name

The BAARA (Biological AutomAted RAdiotracking) System: A New Approach in Ecological Field Studies

Authors

ŘEŘUCHA, Šimon (203 Czech Republic, guarantor), Tomáš BARTONIČKA (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Petr JEDLIČKA (203 Czech Republic), Martin ČÍŽEK (203 Czech Republic), Ondřej HLOUŠA (203 Czech Republic), Radek LUČAN (203 Czech Republic) and Ivan HORÁČEK (203 Czech Republic)

Edition

PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, 2015, 1932-6203

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

10600 1.6 Biological sciences

Country of publisher

United States of America

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Impact factor

Impact factor: 3.057

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14310/15:00080493

Organization unit

Faculty of Science

UT WoS

000350168700024

Keywords in English

automated radiotracking bats telemetry

Tags

Změněno: 19/2/2018 10:40, doc. Mgr. Tomáš Bartonička, Ph.D.

Abstract

V originále

Radiotracking is an important and often the only possible method to explore specific habits and the behaviour of animals, but it has proven to be very demanding and time-consuming, especially when frequent positioning of a large group is required. Our aim was to address this issue by making the process partially automated, to mitigate the demands and related costs. This paper presents a novel automated tracking system that consists of a network of automated tracking stations deployed within the target area. Each station reads the signals from telemetry transmitters, estimates the bearing and distance of the tagged animals and records their position. The station is capable of tracking a theoretically unlimited number of transmitters on different frequency channels with the period of 5–15 seconds per single channel. An ordinary transmitter that fits within the supported frequency band might be used with BAARA (Biological AutomAted RAdiotracking); an extra option is the use of a customprogrammable transmitter with configurable operational parameters, such as the precise frequency channel or the transmission parameters. This new approach to a tracking system was tested for its applicability in a series of field and laboratory tests. BAARA has been tested within fieldwork explorations of Rousettus aegyptiacus during field trips to Dakhla oasis in Egypt. The results illustrate the novel perspective which automated radiotracking opens for the study of spatial behaviour, particularly in addressing topics in the domain of population ecology.

Links

IAA601110905, research and development project
Name: Evoluční biogeografie kaloně Rousettus aegyptiacus ve středozemní oblasti.
Investor: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Evolutionary biogeography of a fruit-bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus, in the Mediterranean region