Monitoring is critical for detecting population trends, determining efficacy of management intervention, assessing species or community responses to ecological threats and informing conservation policies. While the intention of threatened species monitoring programmes is generally in the best interest of the target species, the sampling techniques used can often have negative impacts on individuals, populations, species or even the ecosystem. The Pink-tailed Worm-lizard Aprasia parapulchella, a threatened species, is a small fossorial, legless lizard found along the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in south-eastern Australia. The most commonly used survey method for the species is searching beneath shallowly embedded rocks. Like other active hand search methods, rock-turning can have a detrimental effect on the target species and microhabitat. The aim of this study was to develop a low-impact monitoring method for A. parapulchella, using artificial shelters (bricks), that would reduce monitoring impacts and allow monitoring to be undertaken more frequently. We found that annual artificial shelter surveys for A. parapulchella achieved similar detection rates to rock-turning surveys. We also found that artificial shelters provided similar habitat attributes as natural habitat rocks and importantly, we showed that artificial shelter surveys did not negatively affect either A. parapulchella or habitat condition. The novel, low-impact monitoring method allows monitoring for the species to be undertaken more frequently and thereby allows land managers and conservation practitioners an opportunity to respond faster to population change.

中文翻译：

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蠕虫蜥蜴、蚂蚁和砖头：一种对受威胁的粉尾蠕虫蜥蜴 Aprasia parapulchella 的低影响监测方法

监测对于发现种群趋势、确定管理干预的有效性、评估物种或群落对生态威胁的反应以及为保护政策提供信息至关重要。虽然受威胁物种监测计划的目的通常是为了目标物种的最大利益，但所使用的采样技术往往会对个人、种群、物种甚至生态系统产生负面影响。粉尾蠕虫蜥蜴Aprasia parapulchella是一种濒临灭绝的物种，是一种小型无腿蜥蜴，发现于澳大利亚东南部大分水岭西坡。该物种最常用的调查方法是在浅层嵌入的岩石下进行搜索。与其他主动手动搜索方法一样，岩石转动会对目标物种和微生境产生有害影响。本研究的目的是开发一种使用人工庇护所（砖块）对A. parapulchella进行低影响监测的方法，这将减少监测影响并允许更频繁地进行监测。我们发现，每年对A. parapulchella进行的人工庇护所调查取得了与岩石转动调查相似的检出率。我们还发现人工庇护所提供了与自然栖息地岩石相似的栖息地属性，重要的是，我们表明人工庇护所调查不会对A. parapulchella或栖息地条件产生负面影响。这种新颖、低影响的监测方法可以更频繁地对物种进行监测，从而使土地管理者和保护从业者有机会更快地应对种群变化。