Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Hugh Robinson
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Wildlife Biology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Estimating the probability of habitat use for a particular species is crucial to the direct management and conservation of that species. Without knowledge of habitat preferences, managers cannot effectively focus efforts on vital resources or landscape types. However, modelling probability of habitat use can be done in several ways which leaves room for variation and uncertainty in the estimates produced by each method. This study is an examination of the variation between two estimates of probability of habitat use while focusing on a particular subspecies of elk that inhabits a unique ecosystem relative to other common elk habitats. I will model elk resource selection using both an occupancy framework and a generalized linear model. Both models will be built with the same data and any variation between probability of use estimates will be indicative of the difference in the theory behind each approach. Occupancy modelling accounts for the imperfect detection of a species during sampling to prevent the model from being strongly influenced by detection bias. Whereas a generalized linear model is a purely statistical approach that determines the relationship between the number of sightings at particular survey sites and habitat variables. Identification of potential variation between probability of use estimates will provide additional information to researchers who are trying to determine which approach to use for their specific study. A clear understanding of the benefits and limitations of each may sway a researcher to pick one over the other for a particular application.
Category
Life Sciences
Estimation of Probability of Habitat Use of Roosevelt Elk on the Olympic Peninsula
UC South Ballroom
Estimating the probability of habitat use for a particular species is crucial to the direct management and conservation of that species. Without knowledge of habitat preferences, managers cannot effectively focus efforts on vital resources or landscape types. However, modelling probability of habitat use can be done in several ways which leaves room for variation and uncertainty in the estimates produced by each method. This study is an examination of the variation between two estimates of probability of habitat use while focusing on a particular subspecies of elk that inhabits a unique ecosystem relative to other common elk habitats. I will model elk resource selection using both an occupancy framework and a generalized linear model. Both models will be built with the same data and any variation between probability of use estimates will be indicative of the difference in the theory behind each approach. Occupancy modelling accounts for the imperfect detection of a species during sampling to prevent the model from being strongly influenced by detection bias. Whereas a generalized linear model is a purely statistical approach that determines the relationship between the number of sightings at particular survey sites and habitat variables. Identification of potential variation between probability of use estimates will provide additional information to researchers who are trying to determine which approach to use for their specific study. A clear understanding of the benefits and limitations of each may sway a researcher to pick one over the other for a particular application.