Modeling Individual Specific Fish Length from Capture–Recapture Data Using the von Bertalanffy Growth Curve

Abstract

We use Bayesian methods to explore fitting the von Bertalanffy length model to tag-recapture data. We consider two popular parameterizations of the von Bertalanffy model. The first models the data relative to age at first capture; the second models in terms of length at first capture. Using data from a rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss study we explore the relationship between the assumptions and resulting inference using posterior predictive checking, cross validation and a simulation study. We find that untestable hierarchical assumptions placed on the nuisance parameters in each model can influence the resulting inference about parameters of interest. Researchers should carefully consider these assumptions when modeling growth from tag-recapture data.

Evaluating within‐population variability in behavior and demography for the adaptive potential of a dispersal‐limited species to climate change

“…We modified the Faben's (1965) capture–recapture formulation of the von Bertalanffy growth model to estimate individual growth rates of SVL for each color morph (Schofield, Barker, & Taylor, 2013). Snout‐to‐vent length is a standard measurement of growth (Leclair, Levasseur, & Leclair, 2006), as salamanders can gain or lose mass rapidly depending on water availability.…”

“…We modified the Faben's (1965) capture-recapture formulation of the von Bertalanffy growth model to estimate individual growth rates of SVL for each color morph (Schofield, Barker, & Taylor, 2013).…”

Growth Patterns of Two Chinese Native Goose Breeds

“…Each growth curve has different characteristics and different mathematical limitations. Four nonlinear growth models: Logistic, Gang & Zhen (1997), Gompertz, Mignon-Grasteau et al (1999, Bertalanffy, Schofield et al (2013), and Richards, Knízetová et al (1995), equations are often used to fit the growth curve of poultry. The von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, and logistic models have a fixed growth form which inflection points at about 30, 37, and 50% of the asymptote, respectively while Richards model, which has a variable point of inflection specified by the shape parameter (d), Aggrey (2002).…”

Bayesian hierarchical model used to analyze regression between fish body size and scale size: application to rare fish speciesZingel asper

“…The Bayesian approach can integrate a priori biological information in addition to information obtained from measurements; this approach is sufficiently flexible to fit hierarchical models. Bayesian methods, frequently used in ecology (Royle and Dorazio, 2008;Parent and Rivot, 2012), allow flexible modeling of length observations from capture-recapture data (Zhang et al, 2009;Sigourney et al, 2012;Schofield et al, 2013). They are not usually applied to back-calculation computation, although they are easy to implement using R (see for example Gelman and Hill, 2007; package lmer source, http://r-forge.r-project.org/projects/lme4/) or WinBUGS/OpenBUGS (Lunn et al, 2000or Ntzoufras, 2009; http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.…”