The effect of animal movement on line transect estimates of abundance.

ABSTRACT: Line transect sampling is a distance sampling method for estimating the abundance of wild animal populations. One key assumption of this method is that all animals are detected at their initial location. Animal movement independent of the transect and observer can thus cause substantial bias. We present an analytic expression for this bias when detection within the transect is certain (strip transect sampling) and use simulation to quantify bias when detection falls off with distance from the line (line transect sampling). We also explore the non-linear relationship between bias, detection, and animal movement by varying detectability and movement type. We consider animals that move in randomly orientated straight lines, which provides an upper bound on bias, and animals that are constrain

SUBMITTER: Glennie R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4370374 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature