ISSN 1313 - 8820 (print)ISSN 1314 - 412X (online)

Volume 10, Number 2June 2018

2018

Scope and policy of the journalAgricultural Science and Technology /AST/ – an International Scientific Journal of Agricultural and Technology Sciences is published in English in one volume of 4 issues per year, as a printed journal and in electronic form. The policy of the journal is to publish original papers, reviews and short communications covering the aspects of agriculture related with life sciences and modern technologies. It will offer opportunities to address the global needs relating to food and environment, health, exploit the technology to provide innovative products and sustainable development. Papers will be considered in aspects of both fundamental and applied science in the areas of Genetics and Breeding, Nutrition and Physiology, Production Systems, Agriculture and Environment and Product Quality and Safety. Other categories closely related to the above topics could be considered by the editors. The detailed information of the journal is available at the website. Proceedings of scientific meetings and conference reports will be considered for special issues.

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Editors and Sections

Genetics and Breeding

Atanas Atanasov (Bulgaria)Svetlana Georgieva (Bulgaria)Nikolay Tsenov (Bulgaria)Max Rothschild (USA)Ihsan Soysal (Turkey)Horia Grosu (Romania)Stoicho Metodiev (Bulgaria)Bojin Bojinov (Bulgaria)

Nutrition and Physiology

Nikolai Todorov (Bulgaria)Peter Surai (UK)Ivan Varlyakov (Bulgaria)George Zervas (Greece)Vasil Pirgozliev (UK)

Production Systems

Radoslav Slavov (Bulgaria)Dimitar Pavlov (Bulgaria)Jean-François Hocquette (France) Bogdan Szostak (Poland)

Agriculture and Environment

Martin Banov (Bulgaria)Peter Cornish (Australia)Vladislav Popov (Bulgaria)Tarek Moussa (Egypt)

Product Quality and Safety

Stefan Denev (Bulgaria)Vasil Atanasov (Bulgaria)Roumiana Tsenkova (Japan)

English Editor

Yanka Ivanova (Bulgaria)

2018

ISSN 1313 - 8820 (print)ISSN 1314 - 412X (online)

Volume 10, Number 2June 2018

Determination of Stone marten (Martes foina) and Pine marten (Martes martes) in natural habitats using camera traps

E. Raichev*

Department of Animal Production – Non-ruminants and other animals, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, Stara Zagora 6000, Bulgaria

(Manuscript received 15 May 2018; accepted for publication 4 June 2018)

Abstract. In the nature, difficulties with distinguishing of closely related species like Stone marten (Martes foina) and Pine marten (Martes martes) appear. Based on 280 photos a non-invasive method for determining the Stone marten and the Pine marten by camera trapping was performed. Sloping trees (similar to Leaning-Pole or Running-Pole) were used as a route for animals to pass with a purpose to be photographed. Honey and distal parts of bird wings were used as a lure. The camera was set to capture the climbing animal from the side. The coat coloration and scent marking patterns - proper species indicators - were clearly visible on daily photos. The night photos showed the differences in body proportion but not these in throat patch coloration. Profile photographing also allowed an individual determination based on throat patch shape and area.

Keywords: morphological criteria, distinguish, baits, throat patch

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 10, No 2, pp 160 - 163, 2018DOI: 10.15547/ast.2018.02.031

Introduction

Stone marten (Martes foina) and Pine marten (Martes martes) are medium-sized mustelid species. In Bulgaria the first one is widely distributed hunting object (Annex 1 of the PDPA). The second is protected (Annex 3 of the Biodiversity Act). For the purpose of the population surveys, the exact species determination of photographed Stone marten and Pine marten is needed when they co-occurred. Sampling hairs or fresh faeces is required for distinguishing these two species by DNA extraction in a lab (Riddle et al., 2003; Ruiz-Gonzales et al., 2008; Boitani and Powell, 2012). Genetic methods are more expensive and time consuming compared with camera trapping. In areas where only Pine marten occurs, camera traps could be used for estimating population density without individual recognition to be needed (Rowcliffe et al., 2008). When both species coexist (Clevenger, 1994; Goszczynski et al., 2007), a problem with their distinction emerges because of the similarities in appearance (Bartolommei et al., 2012). When the cameras are set higher than animal path, the throat and other morphological features are not clearly visible. In these cases an opinion of experienced researcher is needed (Pamplin, 2013). In some cases, for more accurate species determination, a parallel use of DNA extraction along with camera trapping is needed (Rosellini et al., 2008). For estimation of American marten population density, Alexej and Siren (2016) used and offered a novel camera-trap method with baits to photograph throat patches. The throat patch shape is an individual feature. Its color however, can't be used as the most accurate and unique indicator for distinguishing Stone marten from Pine marten. Thus, throat patches in pine martens from East Ural can be yellow, orange or even white (Heptner and Naumov, 1967; Nowak, 1999). At the same time in stone martens they can be white or pale yellow (Nowak, 1999; 2005). The color of throat patch could be misleading and its shape shows great geographical variation (Douna-Petridou, 1984). The features which define body proportions for distinguishing these two species were described in

the earliest publications (Brehm, 1895). There are at least five features that permit unmistakable diagnosis of both species (Mayr, 1999). One of the most detailed descriptions of marten's appearance was made by Heptner and Naumov (1967). The present study demonstrates a non-invasive method for identification the species by photographing from a close distance in profile. The obtained picture gives a clear idea for body proportion. In daytime the coloration of the throat patch is well visible. This method is based on old hunting traditions in Russia, Canada and USA.

Material and methods

Study areaThe study was conducted on the south slopes of Balkan

Mountains (Central Bulgaria) from July 2017 to February 2018. Five Keep Guard 690EB camera traps were mounted from 600 to 1600 m a.s.l. so both stone martens and pine martens could be detected. For conducting the observation, the places related to the scent marking reflex of the Stone marten (Peeva, 2015) and Pine marten along the predators' paths were selected as the most suitable. Sloping trees (similar to Leaning-Pole or Running-Pole) were used as a route for animals to pass with a purpose to be photographed. This method is similar to the traditional Russian trap called “kulioma”. Each camera was set on an adjacent tree at about 1.30-1.80 m from the ground level and at a 1.5-2.0 m distance from sloping tree which entered the boundaries of “Effective Detection Distance” for pine martens (Hofmeester et al., 2017). Honey and distal parts of bird wings were used as a lure. The baits used by Roche (2008), Burki et al. (2010) and Van Den Berge and Couwy (2011) were considered inappropriate because of their ineligibility. These made of meat dry out in the summer or freeze in the winter (Aubry et al., 2012). The candied honey was spread on the sloping tree, and the bird's wing was suspended at its end every ten days. The camera was set to capture the climbing animal from the side.

* e-mail: eraichev@uni-sz.bg

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Distinguishing morphological criteriaAmong the many morphological criteria to distinguish Stone

marten from Pine marten (Heptner and Naumov, 1967; Nowak, 1999; Popov and Sedefchev, 2003), five were selected (Table 1).

Results and discussion

One hundred and fifty pictures of stone martens and thirty two of pine martens were obtained in summer, autumn and winter of 2017/2018. The coat coloration and throat marking patterns which are proper species-specific indicators (Vercillo et al., 2003; Evans

and Yablakov, 2004) were clearly visible on daily photos. The selected morphological criteria were also easy to recognize (Figure 1).

The night photos showed the differences in body proportion but not these in throat patch coloration (Figure 2).

The growth of the winter fur could hinder the determination of body proportions. For example, pine marten's ears looked shorter in winter than in summer (Figure 3). However, the criterion length of the legs remained well distinguishable.

Side photographing also allowed individual determination of the both species based on the shape and area of the throat patch (Figure 4), called “bib” by some researchers (Rosellini et al., 2008; Cabrera, 1914). On some pictures, the sex of the animal could be determined

Table1. Morphological criteria for distinguishing general appearance of Stone marten and Pine marten proposed by author (based on Heptner and Naumov, 1967)

Stone marten

brownish-black or greyish coat, almost black distal part of the legs

completely white throat patch

shorter with more rounded tips ears

shorter legs

longer tail

brownish-reddish or reddish-chestnut (reddish tawny) coat, dark

tawny distal part of the legs

reddish, yellow or orange throat patch

more prominent and triangle ears

longer legs

shorter tail

Pine marten

Figure 1. Daily photos of Stone marten (left) and Pine marten (right)

Figure 2. Night photos of Stone marten (left) and Pine marten (right)

Figure 5. Red fox (left) and Brown bear (right) captured by camera traps

Figure 4. Different Stone marten' individuals

Figure 3. Pine marten in winter (left) and summer (right) fur

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depending on the body position vs the camera trap. Some difficulties in using of the method for distinguishing these

two species could appear because of non-target species attraction (Alexej and Siren, 2016) (Figure 5). They could repel temporarily the target species or even damage the equipment.

Some advantages and disadvantages of the proposed method

could be summarized. It is suitable for martens' studies, which exhibit mostly night activity. Obtained pictures allowed individual determination. The method is non-invasive, cheap and time saving for the researcher. It can be used to identify the predator that has caused damages to domestic animals (rabbits, poultry etc.) in villages. This could help in solving "Human-stone marten conflict"

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(Herr, 2008; Peeva and Raichev, 2016). Only few factors could hinder the survey: appearing of non-target species and bad weather conditions like heavy rain.

Conclusion

The method of camera trapping on slopping tree is proper for determination of Stone marten and Pine marten in natural habitats. It could be suitable in support of other studies on species distribution, habitat preferences, demographic structure, activity patterns, olfactory behavior etc.

References

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Hofmeester T, Rowcliffe J and Janson P, 2017. A simple method for estimating the effective distance of camera traps. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 3, 81-89.Law for hunting and protection of the game, 2013. DV, 62 from 12 July 2013 (Bg).Mayr E, 1999. Systematics and the origin of species from the viewpoint of a zoologist. Harvard Univ. Press, London, England, p. 590. Nowak R, 1999. Martens, Fisher and Sable, in: Walker's Mammals of the world.Nowak R, 2005. Walker's Carnivores of the world. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimor, London.Pamplin F, 2013. Optimising the value of by catch Lynx lynx camera trap survey in Swiss Jura Region. Thesis, 1-42, University of East Anglia. Peeva S and Raichev E, 2016. Stone marten (Martes foina Erxl., 1777) and villagers: Human-wildlife social conflict. Agricultural Science and Technology, 8, 158-161.Peeva S, 2015. Study of places, related to the marking reflex of the stone marten (Martes foina Erxl.). Trakia Journal of Sciences, 13, suppl. 2, 315-320.Popov V and Sedefchev A, 2003. Mammals in Bulgaria. Vitosha Publ. House, Sofia (Bg).Riddle A, Pilgrim K, Mills L, McKelvey K and Ruggiero L, 2003. Identification of mustelids using mitochondrial DNA and non-invasive sampling. Conserv. Genetics, 4, 241-243.Roche Th, 2008. The use of bited hair traps and genetic analysis to determine the presence of Pine marten. Thesis for MSc, Waterford Institute of Technoloy.Rosellini S, Osorio E, Ruiz-Gonzales A, Pineiro A and Barja I, 2008. Monitoring the small-scale distribution of sympatric European pine marten (Martes martes) and stone marten (Martes foina): a multievidence approach using faecal DNA analysis and camera-traps. Wildlife research, 35, 434-440.Rowcliffe J, Field J, Turvey S and Carbone C, 2008. Estimating animal density using camera traps without to need individual recognition. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45, 1128-1236. DOI 10.1007/s 13364-011-0055-8.Ruiz-Gonzales A, Rubines J, Berdion O and Gomez-Moliner B, 2008. A non-invasive genetic method to identify the sympatric mustelids pine marten (Martes martes) and stone marten (Martes foina): preliminary distribution survey on the northern Iberian Peninsula. European Journal of Wildlife research, 54, 253-261.Van Den Berge K and Couwy J, 2011. Hot spots for pine marten (Martes martes) and first record of a natal den in Flanders (Belgium). Lutra, 54, 99-109.Vercillo F, Lucentini L, Mucci N, Panara F and Randi E, 2003. Pine marten and stone marten: morphological and genetic differences in comparison. Hystrix, 14 (suppl.).

Review

Ovarian cysts in sows : causes, frequency of occurrence - a reviewB. Szostak, A. Stasiak, V. Katsarov, T. Penev

Genetics and Breeding

Exterior traits of a male parental form for production of autosexing Easter eggersH. Lukanov, A. Genchev, E. Halil

In vitro propagation of white oil-bearing rose (Rosa alba L.)V. Badzhelova, V. Bozhanova, G. Chokov

Sexual dimorphism in growth and feeding of Japanese quails in Northern Guinea SavanahN. N. Molokwu, H. Y. Abbaya

Nutrition and Physiology

Effect of pawpaw (Carica papaya) leaf meal on productive parameters of growing rabbitsP.C. Jiwuba

Production Systems

Effect of fertilizer type and plant spacing on plant morphological characteristics, yield and chemical composition of desho grass (Pennisetumpedicellatum Trin.) in Northwestern EthiopiaB. Mihret, B. Asmare, Y. Mekuriaw

Perception of rural farmers on pesticide use in vegetable productionM. Naznin, M. S. I. Afrad, M. E. Haque, M. Zakaria, A. A. Barau

A study on entrepreneurship skill practices among rural women in Kwara state, NigeriaG.B. Adesiji, S.O. Ibrahim, S.E. Komolafe

Technical efficiency of cowpea farmers in Mubi south local government area of Adamawa state, NigeriaT. Joshua

An assessment of farmers' knowledge of yam entrepreneurial skills in Ekiti State, NigeriaS.E. Komolafe, G.B. Adesiji

Assessment of the yields of essential oil crops in Bulgaria through mathematical approachesN. Keranova

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Agriculture and Environment

12. Effect of bioorganic fertilizers and growth regulators on productivity and immune response of field tomatoesO. Georgieva, N. Valchev

Wastewater characteristics by physico-chemical parameters from different type treatment plantsD. Dermendzhieva

Determination of Stone marten (Martes foina) and Pine marten (Martes martes) in natural habitats using camera trapsE. Raichev

Profitability analysis of small-scale fish farming in Mubi metropolis of Adamawa State, Nigeria: Alternative to poverty alleviation J.D. Daniel, Z.H. Yerima, A.B. Shelleng

Product Quality and Safety

Meat quality and boar taint in entire male pigs fattened to 90 kgI.G. Penchev, S. Ribarski, D. Dimitrov, T. Stoyanchev, S. Ivanova

Analysis of structure and performance of paddy rice marketing in Adamawa state, NigeriaY. Dauna, D.Y. Giroh, W.B. Adamu

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Preparation of papersPapers shall be submitted at the editorial office typed on standard typing pages (A4, 30 lines per page, 62 characters per line). The editors recommend up to 15 pages for full research paper ( including abstract references, tables, figures and other appendices)The manuscript should be structured as follows: Title, Names of authors and affiliation address, Abstract, List of keywords, Introduction, Material and methods,Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements (if any), References, Tables, Figures.The title needs to be as concise and informative about the nature of research. It should be written with small letter /bold, 14/ without any abbreviations. Names and affiliation of authorsThe names of the authors should be presented from the initials of first names followed by the family names. The complete address and name of the institution should be stated next. The affiliation of authors are designated by different signs. For the author who is going to be corresponding by the editorial board and readers, an E-mail address and telephone number should be presented as footnote on the first page. Corresponding author is indicated with *.Abstract should be not more than 350 words. It should be clearly stated what new findings have been made in the course of research. Abbreviations and references to authors are inadmissible in the summary. It should be understandable without having read the paper and should be in one paragraph. Keywords: Up to maximum of 5 keywords should be selected not repeating the title but giving the essence of study. The introduction must answer the following questions: What is known and what is new on the studied issue? What necessitated the research problem, described in the paper? What is your hypothesis and goal ?Material and methods: The objects of research, organization of experiments, chemical analyses, statistical and other methods and conditions applied for the experiments should be described in detail. A criterion of sufficient information is to be possible for others to repeat the experi-ment in order to verify results.Results are presented in understandable

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Мо, Greek = Gr, Georgian = Geor., Japanese = Jа, Chinese = Ch, Arabic = Аr, etc.)The following order in the reference list is recommended:Journal articles: Author(s) surname and initials, year. Title. Full title of the journal, volume, pages. Example:Simm G, Lewis RM, Grundy B and Dingwall WS, 2002. Responses to selection for lean growth in sheep. Animal Science, 74, 39-50Books: Author(s) surname and initials, year. Title. Edition, name of publisher, place of publication. Example: Oldenbroek JK, 1999. Genebanks and the conservation of farm animal genetic resources, Second edition. DLO Institute f o r A n i m a l S c i e n c e a n d H e a l t h , Netherlands.Book chapter or conference proceedings: Author(s) surname and initials, year. Title. In: Title of the book or of the proceedings followed by the editor(s), volume, pages. Name of publisher, place of publication. Example: Mauff G, Pulverer G, Operkuch W, Hummel K and Hidden C, 1995. C3-variants and diverse phenotypes of unconverted and converted C3. In: Provides of the Biological Fluids (ed. H. Peters), vol. 22, 143-165, Pergamon Press. Oxford, UK.Todorov N and Mitev J, 1995. Effect of level of feeding during dry period, and body condition score on reproductive perfor-

thmance in dairy cows,IX International Conference on Production Diseases in Farm Animals, September 11–14, Berlin, Germany.Thesis:Hristova D, 2013. Investigation on genetic diversity in local sheep breeds using DNA markers. Thesis for PhD, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, (Bg).

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Animal welfareStudies performed on experimental animals should be carried out according to internationally recognized guidelines for animal welfare. That should be clearly described in the respective section “Material and methods”.

Volume 10, Number 2June 2018

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