Statistical Models for Wildlife Survey Data

About this book

This book describes both classical and Bayesian methods of inference, analyses a variety of data, including long-term data sets, and demonstrates how widely methods may be applied. They outline a range of sampling schemes, varying by taxa and environment, and describe pitfalls to be avoided in the design of sampling procedures and in data analysis.

Models may be spatial and/or temporal, and often include covariates such as measures of habitat, temperature and rainfall. Covariate selection for given problems is discussed. Other topics include the construction of individual species spatial maps, how they change over time, models for unmarked and marked/identifiable individuals, integrated analysis, and how methods can be used to estimate biodiversity. In addition, the book reviews emerging new technologies; for instance, remote sensing and the use of drones, which result in opportunities for new methods of analysis.

This book is a source of reference for postgraduates and research scientists in statistics and ecology. It may be used for graduate-level teaching, as well as a research reference. It critically and comprehensively presents the most up-to-date statistical modelling work in the area, recommending statistical methods. There is an extensive bibliography and multiple links to computer programs written in R, BUGS and other languages, as well as relevant computer packages; computing material may be accessed via download from the book website.

Contents

- Introduction
- Probability and Statistics
- Sampling Schemes
- Habitat Classification
- Pitfalls
- Abundance Indices
- Occupancy Models
- Measuring Biodiversity
- Discussion
- Appendix
- Bibliography

Customer Reviews

Biography

Byron J.T. Morgan, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor at the University of Kent. His research interests include applied statistics, biometry, statistical ecology, parameter redundancy, population dynamics and applications of Bayesian methods.

Emily B. Dennis, Ph.D., is a Senior Ecological Statistician at Butterfly Conservation. Her research interests include modelling species abundance and distribution, citizen science data and biodiversity indicators, in particular with application to butterflies and moths.

Stephen T. Buckland, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor of Statistics at the University of St. Andrews. His research interests include modelling population dynamics, wildlife resource management, wildlife population assessment, distance sampling and biodiversity monitoring