Simulations inform design of regional occupancy-based monitoring for a sparsely distributed, territorial species.

ABSTRACT: Sparsely distributed species attract conservation concern, but insufficient information on population trends challenges conservation and funding prioritization. Occupancy-based monitoring is attractive for these species, but appropriate sampling design and inference depend on particulars of the study system. We employed spatially explicit simulations to identify minimum levels of sampling effort for a regional occupancy monitoring study design, using white-headed woodpeckers (Picoides albolvartus), a sparsely distributed, territorial species threatened by habitat decline and degradation, as a case study. We compared the original design with commonly proposed alternatives with varying targets of inference (i.e., species range, space use, or abundance) and spatial extent of sampling.

SUBMITTER: Latif QS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5773320 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature