ProxLogs: Miniaturised proximity loggers for monitoring association behaviour in small mammals

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dc.contributor.authorKirkpatrick, Lucinda
dc.contributor.authorOlivares, Ivan Hererra
dc.contributor.authorMassawe, Apia
dc.contributor.authorSabuni, Christopher
dc.contributor.authorLeirs, Herwig
dc.contributor.authorBerkvens, Rafael
dc.contributor.authorWeyn, Maarten
dc.date.accessioned2026-05-13T16:52:21Z
dc.date.available2026-05-13T16:52:21Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.descriptionJournal Article
dc.description.abstractThe ability to monitor associations between wild animals is essential for understanding the processes governing gene transfer, information transfer, competition, predation and disease transmission. Until recently, such insights have been confined to large, visible or captive animals. However, the rapid development of miniature sensors for consumer electronics is allowing ecologists to monitor the natural world in ways previously considered impossible. Here we describe miniature (<1g) proximity loggers we have developed that use Bluetooth Low Energy transmission to register contacts between individuals. Our loggers are open source, low cost, rechargeable, able to store up to 2000 contacts, can be programmed in situ and can download data remotely or through a mobile phone application, increasing their utility in remote areas or with species which are challenging to recapture. We successfully trialled our loggers in a range of field realistic conditions, demonstrating that Bluetooth Low Energy is capable of logging associations in structurally complex habitats, and that changes in received signal strength can be equated to short range changes in distance between loggers. Furthermore, we tested the system on starlings (Sturnidae vulgaris).
dc.description.sponsorshipGlobal Minds Small Research Grant
dc.identifier.issn0394-1914
dc.identifier.otherDOI: https://doi.org/10.4404/hystrix-00430-2021
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/20.500.14820/7579
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherHystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVolume 32 (2): 165–175, 2021
dc.subjectSmall animals
dc.subjectOpen source
dc.subjectContact network
dc.subjectProximity loggers
dc.subjectDisease transmission
dc.subjectAssociation behaviour
dc.subjectBiologging
dc.subjectBluetooth Low Energy
dc.titleProxLogs: Miniaturised proximity loggers for monitoring association behaviour in small mammals
dc.typeArticle

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