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[page 4 of 4] The system is effective for monitoring movements of animals past specific points. It has been adapted for monitoring movements of Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) in and out of a colony on Cape Bird, Antarctica (Peter Wilson, Landcare Res. New Zealand, pers. commun.). This system also measured the weight and direction of the penguins by incorporating an electronic scale and optoelectronic sensors into the reading fixture (see also Gendner et al. 1992). The ARS could be adapted for other applications, such as monitoring timing and use of snake hiernacula, timing and identity of visitors to nests of colonial nesting birds, and patterns of use of food or water sources. Other probes can be connected to correlate environmental and physiological parameters with specific behaviors, e.g., ambient temperature with burrow use. The initial cost of the reader ($1,250-$10,000) makes this unit a reasonable, cost-effective choice for studying large numbers of animals (i.e., >I 0), because, beyond the initial outlay for reading equipment, the cost per study animal is low ($5.00-$8.00 for PIT tags) compared to radio transmitters or labor-intensive observation methods. Acknowledgments. Development and deployment of the Automated Reading System was aided by H. Stoddard, D. Hull, Gui-Yang Lu, T. Goodlett, P. Frank, E. Prentice, and C. R. Peterson. D. Taylor of DT Manufacturing provided the materials, workmanship, and aspects of the housing design. The manuscript benefitted from comments provided by J. Dixon, H. A. Jacobson, J. Oldemeyer, T. O'Shea, E. Prentice, S. Sweet, and an anonymous reviewer. Funding was provided by the California Energy Commission, Bureau of Land Management, National Biological Service, Federal Highway Administration, and Nevada Department of Transportation. Literature cited AMES, R., editor. 1990. Perspectives on radio frequency identification (RF/ID): what is it, where is it going, should I be involved? Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, New York. ANONYMOUS 1991. Final report on transponder system testing and product choice as a global standard for zoological specimens. Captive Breeding Species Group News 2:3-4. BOARMAN W. I., AND M. SAZAKI. 1994. Methods for measuring the effectiveness of tortoise-proof fences and culverts along Highway 58, California. Pages 284-291 in K. R. Beaman, editor. Proceedings of the 1987-1991 Desert Tortoise Council Symposium. Desert Tortoise Council, Palm Desert, California. CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. 1993. 1992 traffic volumes on the California state highway system. Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Operations, Sacramento, California. CAMPER, J. D., AND J. R. DIXON. 1988. Evaluation of a microchip marking system for amphibians and reptiles. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Research Publication 7100-159. GENDNER J. P., J. GILES, E. Challet V. VERDON, C. PLUMERE, X. REBOUD, Y. HANDRICH, AND Y. LE MAHO. 1992. Automatic weighing and identification of breeding king penguins. Pages 29-30 in 1. G. Preide, and S. M. Swift, editors. Wildlife telemetry: remote monitoring and tracking of animals. Ellis Horwood, New York, New York. PRENTICE, E. F., T. A. FLAGG, AND C. S. MCCLUTCHEON. 1990a. Feasibility of using implantable Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags in salmonids. American Fisheries Society Symposium 7:317-322. PRENTICE, E. F., T. A. FLAGG, C. S. MCCLUTCHEON, AND D. F. BRASTow. 1990b. PIT-tag monitoring systems for hydroelectric dams and fish hatcheries. American Fisheries Society Symposium 7:323-334. William L Boarman is a research wildlife biologist with the Biological Resources Division of U.S. Geological Survey and an Adjunct Professor of Biology at the University of California, Riverside. He holds a Ph.D. in ecology from Rutgers University, where he studied the evolution of avian song structure. For the past 9 years he has studied the ecology, behavior, and management of desert tortoises and common ravens in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Michael L. Beigel has 2 B.S. degrees, in electrical engineering and humanities, from M.I.T. and is currently the President and Project Director of Beigel Technology Corporation. His inventions (including Passive Integrated Transponders) and product designs have been on the cutting edge of technology in diverse industry segments. His technical specialties include inventions and patents; radio frequency identification systems; musical and audio products; and analog signal processing. He holds numerous patents in the fields of radio frequency identification, power control, ultrasonic measurement, and musical electronics. He has published technical papers and articles in numerous trade and technical publications. With his wife, Tracy, Glenn C Coodlett is a partner in On-Track Consulting and Research based in Ridgecrest, CA. He has been conducting desert tortoise research since 1989 on a variety of research projects including population census, epidemiological, and radiotelemetry studies. He has logged thousands of hours tracking tortoises and attached hundreds of transmitters to tortoises while field supervising a five year, ongoing, USGS study of tortoise home ranges in the western Mojave Desert. Marc Sazaki holds a B.S. in biological sciences from California State University, Sacramento. He worked with California Department of Fish and Game for 9 years working on coldwater reservoir studies, fish screen evaluation research, salmon spawning escapement monitoring, and fisheries management. With the California Energy Commission for the past 18 years, Marc has been working on power plant siting and biological resource mitigation effectiveness research. |
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