Intra-specific niche partitioning obscures the importance of fine-scale habitat data in species distribution models

Abstract

Geographic information systems (GIS) allow researchers to make cost-effective, spatially explicit predictions of species' distributions across broad geographic areas. However, there has been little research on whether using fine-scale habitat data collected in the field could produce more robust models of species' distributions. Here we used radiotelemetry data collected on a declining species, the North American wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta), to test whether fine-scale habitat variables were better predictors of occurrence than land-cover and topography variables measured in a GIS. Patterns of male and female occurrence were similar in the spring; however, females used a much wider array of landcover types and topographic positions in the summer and early fall, making it difficult for GIS-based models to accurately predict female occurrence at this time of year. Males on the other hand consistently selected flat, low-elevation, riparian areas throughout the year, and this consistency in turn led to the development of a strong GIS-based model. These results demonstrate the importance of taking a more sex-specific and temporally dynamic view of the environmental niche.

Fine- and coarse-scale movements and habitat use by Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) based on probabilistic modeling of radiotelemetry and GPS-telemetry data

“…Using the GPS-telemetry data at the daily time scale, we found that females moved significantly greater cumulative distances per day than males during July, August, and September. Estimates for both sexes were substantially greater than those derived from conventional radio-telemetry tracking studies of Wood Turtles (Arvisais et al 2002;Tingley et al 2010). The differences in the daily distance moved may be due to difference in broader movement patterns and habitat use.…”

“…This difference reveals that Wood Turtles move considerable more than previous radio-telemetry studies have estimated (e.g. Arvisais et al 2002;Tingley et al 2010) and is likely because the radio-telemetry data provides an estimate of the straight lines distance moved between locations 2-3 days apart whereas the GPS-telemetry data provides a more refined estimate of the actual movement trajectory. A more refined estimate of movement provides a better measure of actual distance moved and the habitats the individual moved through.…”

Effect of climate change on the distribution of Magnolia schiedeana : a threatened species

“…Levinsky et al (2007) recognize the limitations of bioclimatic models, although these are useful tools that provide a means of understanding the geographical distribution of the species in the present and future (Téllez-Valdés et al, 2006;Iverson and McKenzie, 2013). They also represent an option to plan the distribution of geographical areas for the conservation of biodiversity (Irfan-Ullah et al, 2007;Tingley et al, 2010).…”

Landscape influence on the local distribution of western pond turtles

“…, Tingley et al. ). However, we also included covariates based on ground observations and aerial photographs, so that the lack of explanatory ability of most finer‐scale habitat covariates cannot be attributed solely to the methodology used to generate them.…”

“…Work with the semiaquatic painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) found that landscape context in the form of distance to nearest wetlands was correlated with habitat use (Bowne et al 2006, Cosentino et al 2010, but other features such as the amount of forest or road proximity were not (Bowne et al 2006, Attum et al 2008. A possible issue in identifying finer-scale patterns of habitat associations is the use of GIS-generated variables, which may not detect habitat characteristics relevant to the turtles (Compton et al 2002, Tingley et al 2010). However, we also included covariates based on ground observations and aerial photographs, so that the lack of explanatory ability of most finerscale habitat covariates cannot be attributed solely to the methodology used to generate them.…”