SNAPSHOT USA 2020: A second coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2022. Ecology. DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3775
Roland Kays1,2, Michael V. Cove2, Jose Diaz3, Kimberly Todd3, Claire Bresnan3, Matt Snider1,Thomas E. Lee, Jr.4, Seth C. Crockett4 , Anthony P. Crupi5, Katherine C.B. Weiss6,7, Helen Rowe8, Tiffany Sprague8, Jan Schipper7, Christopher A. Lepczyk9, Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk9, Jon Davenport10, Zach Farris10, Jacque Williamson11, M. Caitlin Fisher-Reid12, Drew Rezendes12, Alexandra J. Bebko12, Petros Chrysafis13, Alex J. Jensen14, David S. Jachowski14, Katherine C. King15, Brandon McDonald15, Daniel J. Herrera16, Marius van der Merwe17, Robert V. Horan III19, Michael S. Rentz20, LaRoy S.E. Brandt21, Christopher Nagy22, Sean P. Maher24, Andrea K. Darracq25, George Hess3, Matthew E. Gompper26, Stephen L. Webb27, John P. Vanek28, Diana J. R. Lafferty29, Tru Hubbard29, Jorie Favreau31, Jack Fogarty31, Steven Hammerich33, Michelle Halbur33, Morgan Gray33, Christine C. Rega-Brodsky34, Caleb Durbin34, Elizabeth A. Flaherty35, Jarred Brooke35, Stephanie S. Coster36, Richard G. Lathrop37, Katarina Russell37, Daniel A. Bogan38, Hila Shamon1, Robert C. Lonsinger42, M. Teague O'Mara43, Justin A. Compton44, Melinda Fowler44, Erika L. Barthelmess45, Katherine E. Andy45, Jerrold L. Belant46, Dean E. Beyer, Jr.47, Daniel G. Scognamillo48, Chris Schalk48, Caroline N. Ellison50, Chip Ruthven50, Sarah Fritts51, Jaquelyn Tleimat51, Mandy Gay51, Christopher A. Whittier52, Sean A. Neiswenter53, Robert Pelletier53, Brett A. DeGregorio54, Erin K. Kuprewicz55, Miranda L. Davis55, Carolina Baruzzi57, Marcus A. Lashley56, David Mason56, Derek R. Risch58, Maximilian L. Allen59,60, Laura S. Whipple60, Jinelle H. Sperry61, Patrick Wolff61, Robert H. Hagen62, Alessio Mortelliti63, Amay Bolinjcar63, Marketa Zimova68, Sean T. Giery70, Summer D. Higdon72, Ronald S. Revord72, Christopher P. Hansen73, Joshua J. Millspaugh73, Adam Zorn74, Nathaniel H. Wehr75, Brian D. Gerber77, Kylie Rezendes77, Jessie Adley77, Jennifer Sevin78, Austin M. Green79, Çağan H. Şekercioğlu79,80, Mary E. Pendergast81, Kayleigh Mullen81, Tori Bird81b, Andrew J. Edelman82, Tim Hawig82, Joanne R. Wasdin82, Andrea Romero83, Brian J. O'Neill83b[KR1] , Noel Schmitz83b, Rebecca A Vandermus83, Jesse M. Alston84, Kellie M. Kuhn85, Damon B. Lesmeister86, Cara L. Appel87, Christopher Rota88, Jennifer L. Stenglein89, Christine Anhalt-Depies89, Carrie Nelson90, Robert A. Long91, Paula MacKay91, Kathryn R. Remine91, Mark J. Jordan92, Mark Elbroch93, Dylan Bergman94, Sara Cendejas-Zarelli95, Kim Sager95, Haydée Hernández-Yáñez3, William J. McShea3
Abstract
Abstract: Managing wildlife populations in the face of global change requires regular data on the abundance and distribution of wild animals but acquiring these over appropriate spatial scales in a sustainable way has proven challenging. Here we present the data from Snapshot USA 2020, a second annual national mammal survey of the United States of America. This project involved xx scientists setting camera traps in a standardized protocol at 1481 locations across 102 arrays in 43 states for a total of 51,988 trap-nights of survey effort. Most (58) of these arrays were also sampled during the same months (September and October) in 2019, providing a direct comparison of animal populations in two years that include data from before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. All data were managed by the eMammal system, with all species identifications checked by at least two reviewers. In total we recorded 114,749 detections of 77 species of wild mammals, 9200 detections of at least 25 species of birds, 15,847 detections of seven domestic animals and 23,705 detections of humans or their vehicles. Spatial differences across arrays explained more variation in the relative abundance than temporal variation across years for all 38 species modeled, although there are examples of significant site-level differences between years for many species. Temporal results show how species allocate their time and can be used to study species interactions, including between humans and wildlife. These data provide a snapshot of the mammal community of the USA for 2020 and will be useful for exploring the drivers of spatial and temporal changes in relative abundance and distribution, and the impacts of species interactions on daily activity patterns.