Scat sniffer dogs tell researchers a lot about endangered lizards.
Dogs can be trained to find almost anything (people, drugs, weapons, poached ivory) but one York University researcher had them detect something a little unusual — the scat of endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizards.
The scat detection dogs helped biology PhD student Alex Filazzola discover not only scat, but the importance of shrubs in preserving lizard populations in the face of climate change.
The research team geotagged 700 Ephedra californica shrubs in a 32.3-hectare area of the Panoche Hills Management Area in San Joaquin Valley, California.
The lizards use rodent burrows, most often found under shrubs, to escape predators.
The study also pointed out that management techniques used over the past 50 years have done little to change the endangered status of the lizards.
"Planting shrubs, such as the Ephedra californica, could prove critical in managing and preserving endangered species in high-stress or arid ecosystems, such as a desert," said Filazzola.
"Continuing to remove these shrubs to install solar panels, however, further endangers this species."
In addition, the study found that invasive grasses in the desert were not beneficial.
Managing invasive plant species is therefore crucial in these ecosystems.