Using Latent Selection Difference to Model Persistence in a Declining Population

Erickson, Mara E.; Found-Jackson, Christine; Boyce, Mark S.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098126

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The relative probability of persistence of the Western Grebe was modeled relative to key habitat variables on Alberta lakes throughout its breeding range that were known to have supported the species (Erickson et al 2014); Western Grebe persistence on a subset of once-occupied lakes was positively correlated with the proportion of shoreline bulrush (Scirpus lacustris), and was inversely related to the proportion of forested backshore. As well, Western Grebes have persisted on many lakes with extensive human development.…”

Section: Fig 1 Decline In Westernmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within a geographical information system (GIS) ArcMap (Environmental Systems Research Institute 2008), we used both georeferenced aerial photography and satellite imagery (0.5-1.0 m resolution) to digitize and calculate additional variables, including shoreline perimeter and linear extent of emergent vegetation, as well as proportion of human development and proportion/type of backshore vegetation within a 500-m buffer surrounding each lake (see Found et al 2008, Erickson et al 2014. Anthropogenic development and emergent vegetation were digitized using ground-truthed data and digital aerial photography as a reference.…”

Section: Habitat Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relative probability of persistence was estimated using the top-ranked model from Erickson et al (2014), which was based on Western Grebe occupancy data collected on the same suite of lakes and over the same time period as this study. The persistence model is the log-linear function:…”

Section: Persistence-abundance Associationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where P(x) is proportional to the probability of persistence, β 1 …β n are coefficients estimated from the data, and x is a vector of predictor covariates, x 1 , x 2 ,…x n (Erickson et al 2014). We used a correlation coefficient to determine the strength of the relationship between the two parameters.…”

Section: Persistence-abundance Associationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Alberta, the Western Grebe was recently listed as Threatened, following similar patterns of decline and due to its sensitivity to disturbance and habitat loss (AESRD and ACA 2013). Not only has Western Grebe occupancy decreased by 37% on 43 lakes in Alberta that historically supported grebes (Erickson et al 2014), but declines in abundance have been much more pronounced-up to an estimated 63% loss of breeding adults over the past 15 years in some regions (Fig. 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat associations with counts of declining Western Grebes in Alberta, Canada

Erickson¹,

Found-Jackson²,

Boyce³

2017

ACE

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ABSTRACT. During the past several decades, numbers of Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) have declined throughout their breeding and wintering ranges in North America. We estimated Western Grebe abundance and documented habitat factors between 2007 and 2009 from 43 lakes in Alberta, Canada where Western Grebes historically have occurred, to (1) compare Western Grebe abundance with the relative probability of persistence, and (2) identify habitat correlates of grebe abundance. The relative probability of Western Grebe persistence was correlated with abundance in the study area, although only 19% of the variation in persistence probability was explained by abundance. Western Grebe abundance was positively correlated with the shoreline extent of emergent bulrush (Scirpus lacustris), which is consistent with past studies and underlies the importance of protecting emergent vegetation in efforts to conserve Western Grebes. Grebe abundance also was positively correlated with a longer shoreline perimeter, but was inversely correlated with the amount of forested backshore, which occurred on lakes primarily at the northern margins of Western Grebe range. The amount of backshore development was positively associated with Western Grebe abundance, which might reflect a preference for similar lake characteristics by humans and grebes. These relationships are important to consider in the context of implementing and managing recovery of the Western Grebe in Alberta. La probabilité relative de persistance du Grèbe élégant était corrélée avec son abondance dans l'aire d'étude, quoique 19 % seulement de la variabilité de la probabilité de persistance était expliquée par l'abondance. L'abondance de ce grèbe était positivement corrélée avec l'étendue de joncs émergents (Scirpus lacustris) sur les rives, un résultat conforme aux études passées et qui souligne l'importance de protéger la végétation émergente pour la conservation du Grèbe élégant. L'abondance de ce grèbe était aussi corrélée positivement avec un grand périmètre de rive, mais était inversement corrélée avec la quantité de haut de plage forestier, qu'on trouve principalement sur les lacs situés à la limite nord de l'aire du Grèbe élégant. Le degré de sinuosité du haut de plage était positivement associé avec l'abondance de ce grèbe, ce qui reflète sans doute une préférence pour des caractéristiques de lacs similaires chez les humains et les grèbes. Ces relations sont importantes à considérer dans la mise en place et la gestion du rétablissement du Grèbe élégant en Alberta. Associations entre l'habitat et les dénombrements de

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Section: Fig 1 Decline In Westernmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Habitat Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Persistence-abundance Associationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Persistence-abundance Associationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat associations with counts of declining Western Grebes in Alberta, Canada

Erickson¹,

Found-Jackson²,

Boyce³

2017

ACE

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Conceptual and methodological advances in habitat‐selection modeling: guidelines for ecology and evolution

Northrup

Wal

Bonar

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

105

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Habitat selection is a fundamental animal behavior that shapes a wide range of ecological processes, including animal movement, nutrient transfer, trophic dynamics and population distribution. Although habitat selection has been a focus of ecological studies for decades, technological, conceptual and methodological advances over the last 20 yr have led to a surge in studies addressing this process. Despite the substantial literature focused on quantifying the habitat‐selection patterns of animals, there is a marked lack of guidance on best analytical practices. The conceptual foundations of the most commonly applied modeling frameworks can be confusing even to those well versed in their application. Furthermore, there has yet to be a synthesis of the advances made over the last 20 yr. Therefore, there is a need for both synthesis of the current state of knowledge on habitat selection, and guidance for those seeking to study this process. Here, we provide an approachable overview and synthesis of the literature on habitat‐selection analyses (HSAs) conducted using selection functions, which are by far the most applied modeling framework for understanding the habitat‐selection process. This review is purposefully non‐technical and focused on understanding without heavy mathematical and statistical notation, which can confuse many practitioners. We offer an overview and history of HSAs, describing the tortuous conceptual path to our current understanding. Through this overview, we also aim to address the areas of greatest confusion in the literature. We synthesize the literature outlining the most exciting conceptual advances in the field of habitat‐selection modeling, discussing the substantial ecological and evolutionary inference that can be made using contemporary techniques. We aim for this paper to provide clarity for those navigating the complex literature on HSAs while acting as a reference and best practices guide for practitioners.

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Human–Cougar interactions in the wildland–urban interface of Colorado's front range

Alldredge

Buderman

Blecha

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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As human populations continue to expand across the world, the need to understand and manage wildlife populations within the wildland–urban interface is becoming commonplace. This is especially true for large carnivores as these species are not always tolerated by the public and can pose a risk to human safety. Unfortunately, information on wildlife species within the wildland–urban interface is sparse, and knowledge from wildland ecosystems does not always translate well to human‐dominated systems. Across western North America, cougars (Puma concolor) are routinely utilizing wildland–urban habitats while human use of these areas for homes and recreation is increasing. From 2007 to 2015, we studied cougar resource selection, human–cougar interaction, and cougar conflict management within the wildland–urban landscape of the northern Front Range in Colorado, USA. Resource selection of cougars within this landscape was typical of cougars in more remote settings but cougar interactions with humans tended to occur in locations cougars typically selected against, especially those in proximity to human structures. Within higher housing density areas, 83% of cougar use occurred at night, suggesting cougars generally avoided human activity by partitioning time. Only 24% of monitored cougars were reported for some type of conflict behavior but 39% of cougars sampled during feeding site investigations of GPS collar data were found to consume domestic prey items. Aversive conditioning was difficult to implement and generally ineffective for altering cougar behaviors but was thought to potentially have long‐term benefits of reinforcing fear of humans in cougars within human‐dominated areas experiencing little cougar hunting pressure. Cougars are able to exploit wildland–urban landscapes effectively, and conflict is relatively uncommon compared with the proportion of cougar use. Individual characteristics and behaviors of cougars within these areas are highly varied; therefore, conflict management is unique to each situation and should target individual behaviors. The ability of individual cougars to learn to exploit these environments with minimal human–cougar interactions suggests that maintaining older age structures, especially females, and providing a matrix of habitats, including large connected open‐space areas, would be beneficial to cougars and effectively reduce the potential for conflict.

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Using Latent Selection Difference to Model Persistence in a Declining Population

Cited by 7 publications

References 36 publications

Habitat associations with counts of declining Western Grebes in Alberta, Canada

Habitat associations with counts of declining Western Grebes in Alberta, Canada

Conceptual and methodological advances in habitat‐selection modeling: guidelines for ecology and evolution

Human–Cougar interactions in the wildland–urban interface of Colorado's front range

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