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A Method for Quantifying Consistency in Animal Distributions Using Survey Data

Resource type
Date created
2012-09-05
Authors/Contributors
Author (aut): Heath, Joel P.
Author (aut): Esler, Daniel
Abstract
The degree of consistency with which groups of animals use the landscape is determined by a variety of ecological processes that influence their movements and patterns of habitat use. We developed a technique termed Distributional Consistency that uses survey data of unmarked individuals to quantify temporal consistency in their spatial distribution, while accounting for changes in population size. Distributional consistency is quantified by comparing the observed distribution patterns to all theoretically possible distribution patterns of observed individuals, leading to a proportional score between 0 and 1, reflecting increasingly consistent use of sites within a region. The technique can be applied to survey data for any taxa across a range of spatial and temporal scales. We suggest ways in which distributional consistency could provide inferences about the dispersal and habitat decisions of individuals, and the scales at which these decisions operate. Distributional consistency integrates spatial and temporal processes to quantify an important characteristic of different habitats and their use by populations, which in turn will be particularly useful in complimenting and interpreting other ecological measures such as population density and stability. The technique can be applied to many existing data sets to investigate and evaluate a range of important ecological questions using simple survey data.
Document
Published as
Heath JP, Montevecchi WA, Esler D (2012) A Method for Quantifying Consistency in Animal Distributions Using Survey Data. PLoS ONE 7(9): e44353. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044353
Publication title
PLoS ONE
Document title
A Method for Quantifying Consistency in Animal Distributions Using Survey Data
Date
2012
Volume
7
Issue
9
Publisher DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0044353
Copyright statement
Copyright is held by the author(s).
Scholarly level
Peer reviewed?
Yes
Language
English
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Download file Size
journal.pone_.0044353.pdf 417.57 KB

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