HABITAT MONITORING

Researchers in the Life Sciences are becoming increasingly
concerned about the potential impacts of human presence in
monitoring plants and animals in field conditions. At best it
is possible that chronic human disturbance may distort results
by changing behavioral patterns or distributions, while
at worst anthropogenic disturbance can seriously reduce or
even destroy sensitive populations by increasing stress, reducing
breeding success, increasing predation, or causing a
shift to unsuitable habitats. While the effects of disturbance
are usually immediately obvious in animals, plant populations
are sensitive to trampling by even well-intended researchers,
introduction of exotic elements through frequent
visitation, and changes in local drainage patterns through
path formation.

Disturbance effects are of particular concern in small island
situations, where it may be physically impossible for
researchers to avoid some impact on an entire population. In
addition, islands often serve as refugia for species that cannot
adapt to the presence of terrestrial mammals, or may
hold fragments of once widespread populations that have
been extirpated from much of their former range.

Seabird colonies are notorious for their sensitivity to human
disturbance. Research in Maine [2] suggests that even a
15 minute visit to a cormorant colony can result in up to 20%
mortality among eggs and chicks in a given breeding year.
Repeated disturbance will lead to complete abandonment of
the colony. On Kent Island, Nova Scotia, researchers found
that Leach’s Storm Petrels are likely to desert their nesting
burrows if they are disturbed during the first 2 weeks of
incubation.

Sensor networks represent a significant advance over traditional
invasive methods of monitoring. Sensors can be
deployed prior to the onset of the breeding season or other
sensitive period (in the case of animals) or while plants are
dormant or the ground is frozen (in the case of botanical
studies). Sensors can be deployed on small islets where it
would be unsafe or unwise to repeatedly attempt field studies.
The results of wireless sensor-based monitoring efforts
can be compared with previous studies that have traditionally
ignored or discounted disturbance effects.

Finally, sensor network deployment may represent a substantially
more economical method for conducting long-term
studies than traditional personnel-rich methods. Presently,
a substantial proportion of logistics and infrastructure must
be devoted to the maintenance of field studies, often at some
discomfort and occasionally at some real risk. A “deploy ’em
and leave ’em” strategy of wireless sensor usage would limit
logistical needs to initial placement and occasional servicing.
This could also greatly increase access to a wider array of
study sites, often limited by concerns about frequent access
and habitability.