Conditional Occupancy Design Explained

Occupancy surveys are widely used in ecology to study wildlife and plant habitat use. To account for imperfect detection probability many researchers use occupancy models. But occupancy probability estimates for rare species tend to be biased because we’re unlikely to observe the animals at all and as a result, the data aren’t very informative. In their new article – ‘Occupancy surveys with conditional replicates: An … Continue reading Conditional Occupancy Design Explained

Detecting effects of predators on prey: the method matters

In a paper published online today in Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Malcolm Nicoll and Ken Norris look at a controversial issue, that of detecting effects of predators on bird populations. This is controversial because some predators, especially raptors, were formerly rather scarce, but have become more abundant in recent years – in the case of raptors because organochloride chemicals are not used any more. … Continue reading Detecting effects of predators on prey: the method matters