Finding the sweet spot in camera trapping: A global synthesis and meta‐analysis of minimum sampling effort

Camera traps are one of the most common tools in wildlife and conservation biology. Sampling can document measure animal presence activity. Captures be used to estimate population parameters such as presence, abundance, habitat suitability, resident species richness specific populations. Effective camera trapping is relevant for many reasons. For instance, they inform pre- post-restoration efforts, monitor use artificial structures by assess behaviours like predator–prey interactions. This sampling approach aid assessing diversity change, structure effects, behaviour. We reviewed literature collect data incidence effect size measures both vertebrate abundance examine relative efficacy deploying more a given period different ecosystems. Increasing effort through an increased number cameras significantly net positive detection rates grasslands mixed Net mixed, tropical, deciduous, grassland ecosystems similarly with deployed. The total days, however, was not significant predictor or detected any ecosystem. These findings suggest that relatively fewer days provides effective estimates region.