
Bethany R. SmithNottingham Trent University | NTU · School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences
Bethany R. Smith
MRes. BA.
About
9
Publications
1,821
Reads
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29
Citations
Introduction
PhD student investigating the ecological effects of domestic and free-roaming dogs, with a particular focus on the use of livestock guarding dogs. I mainly use camera trapping and dietary analysis.
I also study bioacoustics with Canid Howl Project. We use passive acoustic monitoring to localise and track canids from their howls, and I specifically study the vocal interactions between wild canids and domestic dogs.
Contact: bethany.smith2019@my.ntu.ac.uk
Website: bethanyrsmith.com
Additional affiliations
October 2018 - December 2019
Mammal Society
Position
- Data & Information Officer
Description
- I worked on writing the RMarkdown and Shiny code for Ecobat, the society’s web tool for automated bat activity analysis. I also coordinated several UK-wide projects including the use of the Mammal Mapper app and standardised small mammal trapping.
Education
January 2020 - January 2024
September 2017 - September 2018
October 2013 - June 2016
Publications
Publications (9)
Trophic rewilding involves adding species into ecosystems to restore extinct, top-down interactions, but limited quantitative data have prevented a systematic attempt to quantify its outcomes. Here, we exploit species introductions that have occurred for purposes other than restoration to inform trophic rewilding. We compiled 51 studies with 158 di...
Livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) are used across the world to reduce livestock depredation by free-ranging predatory wildlife. In doing so, they reduce the need for lethal predator control and are considered
beneficial for conservation. However, LGDs might be perceived as predators by wildlife and induce a multitude of both positive and negative ecol...
Conservation action is usually triggered by detecting trends in species’ population size, geographical range, or occupancy (proportion of sites occupied). Robust estimates of these metrics are often required by policy makers and practitioners, yet many species lack dedicated monitoring schemes. An alternative source of data for trend estimation is...
Context: Synchronised acoustic recorders can be used as a non-invasive tool to detect and localise sounds of interest, including vocal wildlife and anthropogenic sounds. Due to the high cost of commercial synchronised recorders, acoustic localisation has typically been restricted to small or well funded surveys. Recently, low-cost acoustic recorder...
A report by the Mammal Society for Natural Resources Wales, produced in association
with Wales Mammal Biodiversity Action Forum.
: Artificial light at night (ALAN) can have negative consequences for a wide range of taxa. However, the effects on nocturnal mammals other than bats are poorly understood. A citizen science camera trapping experiment was therefore used to assess the effect of ALAN on the activity of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) at supplementary feeding...
Litterfall is an important resource subsidy for lake ecosystems that primarily accumulates in littoral zones. Bivalves are abundant within littoral zones and may modify the effects of terrestrial resource subsidies through trophic interactions and engineering their surrounding habitat. Leaf inputs to lakes and freshwater mussel abundances are chang...
Projects
Project (1)
Determine the intended and unintended ecological consequences of using livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) to protect livestock from free-ranging predators.