Biomedical subjects

S T Buckland

Publications and source records attributed to S T Buckland.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

Adaptive line transect sampling.

Adaptive line transect sampling offers the potential of improved population density estimation efficiency over conventional line transect sampling when populations are spatially clustered. In adaptive sampling, survey effort is increased when areas of high animal density are located, thereby increasing the number of observations. Its disadvantage is that the survey effort required is not known in advance. We develop an adaptive line transect methodology that, by varying the degree of adaptation, allows total effort to be fixed at the design stage. Relative to conventional line transect surveys, it also provides better survey coverage in the event of disruption in survey effort, e.g., due to poor weather. In analysis, sightings from the adaptive sections are downweighted in proportion to the increase in effort. We evaluate the methodology by simulation and report on surveys of harbor porpoise in the Gulf of Maine, in which the approach was compared with conventional line transect sampling.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Similarity indices for spatial ecological data.

We present a method for assessing similarity between species maps of presence and absence or abundance that emphasizes global features while ignoring minor local dissimilarities. The method arranges sites into small groups, or cliques, and allows controlled changes to be made within cliques to reduce the influence of local discrepancies. Resulting measures of similarity are visually more satisfactory than traditional indices. We show that the similarity indices are useful for model selection by comparing observed spatial patterns with those predicted by different fitted models. Examples are provided for spatial distributions of oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatei), woodlarks (Lullula arborea), and red deer (Cervus elaphus).

Algorithms↗

PubMed2000

Wildlife population assessment: past developments and future directions.

We review the major developments in wildlife population assessment in the past century. Three major areas are considered: mark-recapture, distance sampling, and harvest models. We speculate on how these fields will develop in the next century. Topics for which we expect to see methodological advances include integration of modeling with Geographic Information Systems, automated survey design algorithms, advances in model-based inference from sample survey data, a common inferential framework for wildlife population assessment methods, improved methods for estimating population trends, the embedding of biological process models into inference, substantially improved models for conservation management, advanced spatiotemporal models of ecosystems, and greater emphasis on incorporating model selection uncertainty into inference. We discuss the kind of developments that might be anticipated in these topics.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1985

Perpendicular distance models for line transect sampling.

Perpendicular distance line transect models are examined to assess whether any single model can provide a general procedure for analysing line transect data. Of the two-parameter models considered, the hazard-rate model appears promising, whereas the exponential power series and exponential quadratic models do not. Of the nonparametric models, the Fourier series is the best developed, and is favoured by many researchers as a general model. However, for a given data set, the Fourier series estimate may be highly dependent on the number of terms selected, and so the model is not a clear improvement over the hazard-rate model. A similar variable-term model, using Hermite polynomials, is considered, and is shown to be less dependent on the number of terms selected. There has been some debate about whether the derivative of the density function of perpendicular distances evaluated at 0 should be 0, so that the function has a "shoulder." The problem is examined in detail, and it is argued that reliable estimation is not possible from line transect data unless a shoulder exists. Many data sets appear to exhibit no shoulder; possible reasons are examined.

Animals↗

PubMed1982

A note on the Fourier series model for analysing line transect data.

The Fourier series model offers a powerful procedure for the estimation of animal population density from line transect data. The estimate is reliable over a wide range of detection functions. In contrast, analytic confidence intervals yield, at best, 90% confidence for nominal 95% intervals. Three solutions, one using Monte Carlo techniques, another making direct use of replicate lines and the third based on the jackknife method, are discussed and compared.

Animals↗