An automated barcode tracking system for behavioural studies in birds
Autor: | Jacob M. Graving, Adriana Alexandra Maldonado-Chaparro, Gustavo Alarcón-Nieto, Inge Mueller, Damien R. Farine, James A. Klarevas-Irby |
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Jazyk: | angličtina |
Rok vydání: | 2018 |
Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine Automated monitoring Computer science media_common.quotation_subject Collective behavior Real-time computing Group living Interacciones sociales Tracking (particle physics) Barcode Social interactions 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Vida en grupo law.invention 03 medical and health sciences Population ecology law Perception Animal behavior Sociology Ecología de la población Duration (project management) Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics media_common business.industry Ecological Modeling Group life Tracking system 030104 developmental biology Flock Seguimiento automatizado business Comportamiento colectivo Humanities Comportamiento animal |
Zdroj: | Methods in Ecology and Evolution Repositorio EdocUR-U. Rosario Universidad del Rosario instacron:Universidad del Rosario |
Popis: | 1. Recent advances in technology allow researchers to automate the measurement of animal behaviour. These methods have multiple advantages over direct observations and manual data input as they reduce bias related to human perception and fatigue, and deliver more extensive and complete data sets that enhance statistical power. One major challenge that automation can overcome is the observation of many individuals at once, enabling whole-group or whole-population tracking. 2. We provide a detailed description for implementing an automated system for tracking birds. Our system uses printed, machine-readable codes mounted on backpacks. This simple, yet robust, tagging system can be used simultaneously on multiple individuals to provide data on bird identity, position and directionality. Further, because our codes and backpacks are printed on paper, they are very lightweight. 3. We describe the implementation of this automated system on two flocks of zebra finches. We test different camera options, and describe their advantages and disadvantages. We show that our method is reliable, relatively easy to implement and monitor, and with proper handling, has proved to be safe for the birds over long periods of time. Further, we highlight how using single-board computers to control the frequency and duration of image capture makes this system affordable, flexible, and adaptable to a range of study systems. 4. The ability to automate the measurement of individual positions has the potential to significantly increase the power of both observational and experimental studies. The system can capture both detailed interactions (using video recordings) and repeated observations (e.g. once per second for the entire day) of individuals over long timescales (months or potentially years). This approach opens the door to tracking life-long relationships among individuals, while also capturing fine-scale differences in behaviour. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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