march 2015

Field research into

reptiles is acquiring
an established form
In all zoological disciplines it can be seen that
efforts are continuously being made to devise and
establish standardised methods of conducting
research – i.e. monitoring, which can be used
to repeatedly observe species variety within a
studied area, along with the density of individ-
ual populations. Monitoring must be performed Common European viper (Vipera berus) warming itself in the sun
in such a way that it does not influence natural
processes and yet can be repeated many times,
allowing the comparison of changes over the
course of time. into smaller parts. In principle it is possible to The line transect method enables relatively
While standardised methods became use this method for all taxonomic groups; its ef- reliable monitoring of the population size of in-
established in botany in the nineteen-thirties ficiency is, however, dependent on the number dividual species on the basis of records of the
(Braun-Blanquet 1932) and continue to be used of observers. It should also be mentioned that number of heard or seen individuals (Janda et
today (e.g. Ewald 2003), they are taking much this is a semi-quantitative, macroscale method Řepa 1986). The observer records all species
longer to gain a foothold in zoology. The reasons (working at the scale of tens of km²). In central determined visually and acoustically while moving
for this are obvious: animals are mobile and ex- Europe it is common to use map fields with trape- along a course of certain length through terrain.
tremely morphologically heterogeneous. The very zoids; each individual field measures 10 minutes This method, which is highly suitable e.g. when
different lifestyles of aquatic, soil-dwelling and of longitude×6 minutes of latitude. In the case comparing the relative abundance of bird species
terrestrial organisms prevent the use of identical of the Czech Republic such a field measures at different locations, is fairly simple and not too
methods when studying them. It is clear that under approximately 11.2×12.0 km (Buchar 1982). For time consuming. It can be used to survey large
these circumstances it is necessary to develop Europe, square fields are used with sides of up areas and practically all year round, though it isn’t
many highly diverse methods. In the case of ter- to 50 km in length (Gasc et al. 1997). all that precise given that the width of the transect
restrial animals, innovators in the entomology and the walking speed of the observer can only
field began applying standardization with regard be estimated. The oldest method of observing
to sweeping, pitfall traps and light traps. Later, Capture lizards for which documentation exists was de-
other methods were added to the list of those This primarily refers to the catching of birds vised by Andruško (1936, in Novikov 1953), who
available, such as adhesive traps, intercept traps, and mammals. When the methods involved are recommended counting individuals along a line
Malaise traps, collar traps and yellow pan traps standardised it is possible to gain good quanti- around which finds would be recorded to a width
(e.g. Novák 1969). The situation has evolved in tative results that can be statistically evaluated. of three metres.
a more complex manner in vertebrate zoology, Some success has been had when using it with Point transects basically involve the collec-
particularly in the case of land vertebrates. When small mammals (e.g. Pelikán 1975). During the tion of qualitative and quantitative data, which
studying terrestrial vertebrate fauna one needs capture of birds in nets in combination with ring- always takes place at previously determined lo-
to deal with the extremely varied biology of the ing, use is made of e.g. the CES (Constant Effort cations (points) for a certain period of time. For
individual groups involved: birds, bats, ungulates, Site) and RAS (Recapture of Adults for Survival) example, the observer selects points approxi-
amphibians and others. From the beginning it was methods. Today, the CMR (capture-mark-recap- mately 300 m from each other and remains at
clear that the use of one single unified system of ture) method is becoming popular; this involves each point for five minutes, recording all species
methods was out of the question. the capture of mammals using restraining traps. heard and seen. While moving from one point to
With vertebrates it is possible to divide up the The use of such traps has the advantage of another no species are recorded. The most signif-
approaches to gaining information in the field into lowering the impact of research on the studied icant point count method is IPA (Indice Ponctuelle
four areas: network mapping, capture, indirect ob- population (Wilson et al. 1996). ďAbondance = index of abundance), which is
servation methods and direct observation methods. based on visual and acoustic observation and the
recording of all birds at individual points along a
Direct observation methods transect over a period of 20 minutes. This is best
Grid mapping Alongside audiovisual methods, such as performed in the early morning, when birds are
Grid (or quadrat) mapping involves the re- camera traps and sound recordings, line tran- at their most active. It is used for songbirds, pici-
cording of species occurrence via the presence/ sects and point transects are also used in direct formes and pigeons, i.e. for birds which declare
absence system within a wide area divided up observation. their nesting territory acoustically.

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 and along the route between the hiding places
are recorded. The method recommends at least
seven visits per year for basic research and up
to twenty for detailed research. It isn’t, however,
focused on the determination of population den-
sity in various places but is instead designed to
discover the largest possible number of species
in the area. The zoologist thus avoids places with
a low probability of reptile occurrence. We con-
sider this to be the biggest flaw in this method
as the occurrence of reptiles can be overrated,
creating some kind of artefact. On top of this,
the method doesn’t enable comparison between
various surfaces.
Guilfoyle (2010) attempted the standard-
ization of methods. He suggested monitoring
reptiles either in such a way that an area is exam-
ined during a period whose length is pre-defined,
similarly as in the CES method (time-limited
Schematic representation of a point transect. The points are located in such a way that they represent the surveys), or by monitoring animals in perma-
basic biotopes proportionally (thin forest, dense forest, meadow, etc.)  Drawing: Šárka Mikátová nent standardized areas (area-limited surveys).
For time-limited surveys, Guilfoyle proposes a
standard time of thirty minutes. He recommends
The basic method for the monitoring of rep- what he calls active research, i.e. turning over
Indirect observation methods tiles has always been and still is direct observa- stones, wood, fallen leaves and other objects at
Indirect observation methods discover the tion. The observer walks through the landscape a certain location. The trouble with this method
presence of organisms from the various products and tries to find as many species and individuals is that when the amount of findings (connect-
or traces of their activities. These methods are as possible. This method also involves what is ed with a high number of records) is large, the
based on the recording of excrement, sheds and known as ‘looking under hiding places’, which time spent actually walking is shortened. In area
other products, and the monitoring of abundance takes into consideration the characteristic ten- limited surveys, the size of an area may vary
on the basis of animal tracks and trails. Another dency of all reptiles to use small random hiding from 1×1 m up to 50×50 m. The process of
method involves the recording of signs of hab- places to rest or possibly to warm themselves. actively searching for animals (e.g. turning over
itation (counting of browsed or gnawed items). Looking under hiding places is used in the Brit- wood and stones) must be standardized and
It is very useful in the case of e.g. beavers (e.g. ish method of reptile observation (e.g. Gent and repeated while taking inventory. When using
Vlašín 1992). Gibson 1998), which suggests the use of artificial standard area sizes, the density of population
hiding places. Zoologists create such shelters at can be calculated and these data can be used
locations which are not randomly selected but are for long-term monitoring at various locations and
Methods of observing reptiles rather chosen with regard to the highest expected during varying weather and seasonal conditions.
One group of vertebrates for which to probability of finding animals. When monitoring A variant is the use of a transect of a standard
date – aside from network mapping – there is takes place, the individual hiding places are vis- length. However, all authors work with natural
no suitable and widely-used standardised ob- ited and the reptiles found under them, on them hiding places only.
servation method, is that of reptiles. There are
many reasons for this. An ethological-ecological
difference exists between reptiles that walk using
legs and reptiles that have to crawl. Lizards walk,
while snakes and slow worms crawl. Tortoises
walk in a different manner – with a little exagger-
ation their gait could be described as ‘silly walk-
ing’. A great obstacle in the path to standardised
methods is the fact that the activity of reptiles
is very dependent on the weather, and not just
during monitoring but also in the previous days
and hours. Low, but also very high temperatures
may cause mainly snakes (but also lizards) to
seek places to shelter, and to avoid activity. Birds,
for example, will sing even after temperatures
have dropped significantly, bats fly even during
light rain, and amphibians continue mating even
during unfavourable temperatures, while reptiles
reduce their activity at temperatures below 15 ˚C
to such an extent that the chance of observing
them at a given locality decreases to zero. An
error caused by this factor may then completely
destroy the usefulness of data gained for the Schematic representation of one of the points of the transect. A 1x1 m foil, attached with nails (200 mm long)
purpose of long-term monitoring. on the left and stones on the right, with a colour-coded pole (height 1 m).  Drawing: Šárka Mikátová

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A shallow layer of substrate placed under the foil
provides a suitable hiding place for snakes

A smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) under an ope- A transect point fitted with a ‘decoy’ foil and a marker pole (Podyjí National Park)
ned ‘decoy’ foil

While surveying the Aesculapian snake in all the reptiles we saw both outside the foils and attached at two of its corners with 200 mm
the Podyjí National Park and also in the Bílé Kar- on them. When we arrived at a foil square, we long nails with a wide underlay and weighed
paty Protected Landscape Area, we included removed both stones carefully and lifted the sheet down with stones at the remaining two cor-
the installation of artificial hiding places as an quickly. We either just spotted and recorded the ners. 0.6 mm thick pond foil made of black
inseparable part of our research. From practical reptiles or caught them in our hands for further polyethylene is to be used as the material. It is
reasons, we decided to use squares fabricat- research. Based on experience gained in the advisable to put crushed bark and wood chips,
ed from different materials with the dimensions period between 2000 and 2014 we have devel- small stones and similar items under the foil so
1×1 m. A person can handle an object of this oped the following methodology. that it doesn’t lie directly on the surface – there
size easily, and at the same time its surface will are small crevices between it and the surface
provide a sufficient hiding place even for large The point transect method of the earth. Each point on the transect must
Aesculapian snake specimens. In the initial stag- be marked with a 1m high stick inserted into
es of the research we concentrated on various for the monitoring of reptiles the terrain, with the upper end coloured brightly
types of material and examined various types of This is a type of limited area survey method. so that it is easy to find during the peak period
such artificial hiding places non-systematically. When surveying a certain territory (a reserve, of vegetation. A period of at least one month
While we cannot claim that our observations in research area, object subject to biological eval- should elapse between the installation of the
this matter provide any empirical proof of anything, uation, etc.), a 1 km long transect needs to be transect with the foils and the first monitoring
we can still divide the hiding places into suitable, delimited and 20 points fixed along its track. session as reptiles only start using such hiding
less suitable and unsuitable. The suitable ones For larger territories (over 10 ha), more lines of places when they remain in the landscape for
include squares of pond foil, studded film and this kind need to be placed. One ‘decoy’ foil is an extended period of time. The optimum time
gurt (stiff conveyor belts made from rubberized placed at each point as an artificial hiding place for the installation of the line is in the autumn,
textile used in the mining and quarrying of raw (see below). The examined territory needs to be and the launch of the survey should then occur
materials – the material is 1cm thick or more). divided into basic habitats and their proportional in the spring.
Less suitable are, for example, tarpaulin, corru- representation must be estimated (e.g. mead- During the monitoring, the researcher
gated iron and Jekor carpet (non-woven carpet ow 20 %, dense forest 15 %, thin forest 60 %, should go around the foils in a standard way
with a usual thickness of 3 mm). The following shrubbery 5 %). Furthermore, a line needs to be (always along the same track) and record all
materials can be considered unsuitable: thin drawn through the territory in such a way that it reptiles spotted during the walk outside the
transparent plastic foil, wood, textiles (material intersects all the basic habitats, and a propor- foils as well as on them. When reaching a foil,
for window blinds), garden foil and reed mats. tionally corresponding number of points needs he or she removes both stones carefully and
These unsuitable materials either fail to provide to be placed within each habitat (i.e. for example lifts up the sheet quickly. The reptiles are
suitable hiding places for reptiles or decompose 20 % = four foils, 15 % = three foils, etc.). It is recorded either only visually (eventually pho-
quickly in the field. From the suitable materials obvious that the transect thus won’t lead along tographically) or are caught in the researcher’s
we chose the one which brought the best results a line but rather will follow a curve which may hands for further investigation (in this case, the
in terms of easy installation – pond foil. It proved also have round or elliptical characteristics. The direct observation method is thus being com-
advantageous on a long-term basis to attach it points don’t have to be spaced out evenly, but bined with the capture method). During each
at two corners by nails and weigh it down with the smallest distance between them should be walk, a record is made of what the weather was
stones at the other two corners. Our procedure 20 m and the greatest 200 m. like, and the air temperature at the beginning
during the survey was to proceed in a standard A ‘decoy’ foil square with the dimensions and end of the monitoring session also needs
way: on passing the foil squares we recorded 1×1 m is to be placed at each permanent point, to be recorded.

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 For fauna research it is sufficient that the line
transect is checked six times, and this should be
done at optimum times. For quantitative research,
twelve visits must be carried out per season, which
lasts from April to September, with two checks per
month regardless of the current weather.

Discussion
We tested this method at three different
locations (classified according to Culek 2005):
the Třebechovice bioregion (1.10), Hercynian
sub-province (Plachta); the Bílé Karpaty bi-
oregion (3.6), West Carpathian sub-province
(Vlárský průsmyk); and the Jevišovice bioregion
(1.23), Hercynian sub-province (Podyjí National
Park). The method was tested intensively in the
Podyjí National Park. We erected six transects
with 24 points on each of them at a total of six
localities. We also created 144 ‘decoy’ foil shel-
ters (96 foils were placed in 2011, after which
more were added to meet the target state). These
transects were monitored each season in the
years from 2011 to 2014.
The foils are of varying importance to reptiles
in the local landscape. They bring a new struc-
ture to the biotope which is different from the The Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) also loves vineyards (Podyjí National Park)
surrounding environment and which creates new
hiding places. These are significant additions
within relatively homogeneous environments The foils are used by all terrestrial Central slow worm which appear in this locality (Natrix
(e.g. meadows), but thanks to the specific prop- European reptile species but they are of essen- natrix, Natrix tessellata, Coronella austriaca,
erties of the foils, reptiles also use them in very tial importance in the monitoring of snakes and Zamenis longissimus) were observed under
rugged and diverse environments such as e.g. slow worms. Lizards can be also be observed one foil. In the Plachta area in East Bohemia,
sunny slopes with rock outcrops. It is obvious almost equally well when walking along a line the common European viper (Vipera berus),
that monitoring reptiles under foils can also be transect due to their high movement activity. In grass snake (Natrix natrix) and slow worm
an artefact to a certain degree. With regards to the case of the slow worm, 90 to 95% of found (Anguis fragilis) were all observed under one
the generally low mobility of reptiles we assume animals were discovered under foils and only foil. It is clear from these results that the use
that if a snake is recorded regularly under a foil in 5–10 % of finds were the result of walking along of foils in reptile research (mainly snakes and
a certain place, it has certainly also frequented transects. In the case of snakes, 81 to 93% of slow worms) is a basic method for discovering
the foil (or its close vicinity) even before. recorded individuals were found under foils. the species spectrum in a certain area as well
Reptiles generally perceive the spaces under The share of snakes spotted outside the foils as the possible evaluation of the characteristics
the foils as places which are suitable for warming also varied during the season. The highest per- of a given population.
themselves while remaining hidden and free from centage of snakes found on the transect outside RNDr. Mojmír Vlašín,
the danger of predation. On other occasions the foils (almost 20 %) was during the spring Ecological Institute Veronica,
the foils also enable reptiles to shelter from the period when the activity of snakes is highest Panská 9, Brno
rain. With regard to the fact that foils are often because, for example, they are migrating from
also used by small terricolous (soil) mammals, their wintering places to their seasonal locations, RNDr. Blanka Mikátová,
the space under the foils can also be used as a they start exhibiting various forms of epigamic Nature Conservation Agency of the
place for hunting. Mainly in the early spring period, behaviour (connected with reproduction), etc. Czech Republic,
lizards hunt insects which fly onto the surface of The foils were used by snakes in all age cate- Eastern Bohemia regional office
the foils (Vlašín et Mikátová 2007). gories. In the Podyjí region, all four kinds of all photos by Blanka Mikátová

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