Modelling Patterns and
Dynamics of Species Occurrence Workshop
Darryl
MacKenzie, Proteus Wildlife Research Consultants
Jim Nichols, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Jim Hines, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Sheperdstown, West Virginia
7-11 December 2009
The
presence or absence of a species across a set of landscape units is
a fundamental concept widely used in ecology (e.g., species range or
distribution, epidemiology, habitat modelling, resource selection
probability
functions, as a monitoring metric, metapopulation studies, biodiversity
and species
co-occurrence). An important sampling issue, however, is that a species
may not
always be detected when present at a landscape unit. This will result
in
"false absences" causing parameter estimates to be biased if
unaccounted for, possibly leading to misleading results and
conclusions, even
with moderate levels of imperfect detection.
This
workshop will cover many of the latest methods for modelling
patterns and dynamics of species occurrence in a landscape while
accounting for
the imperfect detection of the species. Participants will be introduced
to
available software through worked examples, and there will be special
emphasis
on aspects of study design. While primarily aimed at the beginner and
intermediate level, more experienced researchers will also benefit from
attending. Topics to be covered include:
-
single-season
occupancy models for patterns in species occurrence
-
multiple-season
occupancy models for dynamic of species occurrence
-
study
design and it’s influence on the interpretation of ‘occupancy’
-
species
co-occurrence models
-
community-level
applications
-
multi-state
occupancy models
-
integrated
modelling of habitat and species occurrence dynamics
This workshop is being run in conjunction with the US FWS where the course is titled Population Viability Analysis IV: Modeling Occupancy for Conservation. This course is now full, email Joe Witt to be added to the waiting list. Tuition fee is US$760 though this may be waived for FWS, Park Service and BLM employees. For enquires about the course please contact Darryl. Please note that participants will have to provide they own laptop computer that is capable of running Windows-based software.