Dealing with detection error in site occupancy and abundance surveys: what can we do with a single survey?
Time: 10am AEDT
Site occupancy probabilities and abundance of target species are commonly used in various ecological studies. Detection error introduces bias in the estimators of site occupancy. Existing methods for estimating occupancy probability in the presence of detection error use replicate surveys. These methods assume either population closure, i.e. the site occupancy status remains constant across surveys or a structured dependence across surveys. The practical difficulties with replicate surveys are well known. Statistically, the closure assumption is seldom satisfied and the dependence structure can be difficult to model. The cost of replicate surveys can be prohibitive and they may be logistically prohibitive.
Date: 04 December 2020, Friday
Time: 10am AEDT
Site occupancy probabilities and abundance of target species are commonly used in various ecological studies. Detection error introduces bias in the estimators of site occupancy. Existing methods for estimating occupancy probability in the presence of detection error use replicate surveys. These methods assume either population closure, i.e. the site occupancy status remains constant across surveys or a structured dependence across surveys. The practical difficulties with replicate surveys are well known. Statistically, the closure assumption is seldom satisfied and the dependence structure can be difficult to model. The cost of replicate surveys can be prohibitive and they may be logistically prohibitive.
Given these practical difficulties, we ask the question: what can we do with a single survey? We discuss the conditions under which one can estimate the regression models for detection and occupancy/abundance. We illustrate that the conditions are not excessively restrictive. On the other hand, aside from being difficult to justify, the effect of violation of the assumption of close population or dependence structure can be substantial. As is the case for most statistical methods, there are pros and cons to both single and replicate survey methods. The appropriate choice depends on the particular situation on hand.
References:
Lele, S. R., Moreno, M., & Bayne, E. (2012). Dealing with detection error in site occupancy surveys: what can we do with a single survey? Journal of Plant Ecology, 5(1), 22-31.
Sólymos, P., & Lele, S. R. (2016). Revisiting resource selection probability functions and single-visit methods: Clarification and extensions. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(2), 196-205.
Video:
References:
Lele, S. R., Moreno, M., & Bayne, E. (2012). Dealing with detection error in site occupancy surveys: what can we do with a single survey? Journal of Plant Ecology, 5(1), 22-31.
Sólymos, P., & Lele, S. R. (2016). Revisiting resource selection probability functions and single-visit methods: Clarification and extensions. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(2), 196-205.
Video: