While it may not be your focus, is it possible that humans may affect the data? I read an article (see below) that spoke on the possibility of humans acting as more substancial apex predators for mesopredators. This issue might be easily addressed by leaving a camera out longer to allow for human scents to fade, but otherwise, I am curious to see how you might address or acknowledge the possibility.
Michael Clinchy, et al. 2016. "Fear of the human “super predator” far exceeds the fear of large carnivores in a model mesocarnivore"
Dear Sarah,
There is no doubt that humans impact wildlife behavior, especially predators. There have been a couple of camera-trap studies that have shown that the same wildlife species in parks with human presence have very different diel activity patterns in comparison to more remote preserves with little to know human activity. I have found this for red foxes. Below is an interesting article on how sensitive mountain lions are even to human voice.
http://www.popsci.com/mountain-lions-scared-human-voices.
I think the best way to address this may be to quantify the level of human activity in your study sites and than have human activity as a covariate when modeling your camera trap results. All the best with your research.
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