Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2005

Keywords

Habitat patch dynamics, Larus glaucescens, Matrix model, Per capita flow rates, Transition probabilities

Abstract

Diurnal habitat occupancy dynamics of Glaucous-winged Gulls were evaluated in a system of six habitats on and around Protection Island, Washington. Data were collected on the rates of gull movement between habitat patches, and from these data the probabilities of transitions between habitats were estimated as functions of tide height and time of day. A discrete-time matrix model based on the transition probabilities was used to generate habitat occupancy predictions, which were then compared to hourly census data. All model parameters were estimated directly from data rather than through model fitting. The model made reasonable predictions for two of the six habitats and explained 45% of the variability in the data from 2003. The construction and testing of mathematical models that predict occupancies in multiple habitats may play increasingly important roles in the understanding and management of animal populations within complex environments. © 2005 Rocky Mountain Mathematics Consortium.

Journal Title

Natural Resource Modeling

Volume

18

Issue

4

First Page

441

Last Page

468

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-7445.2005.tb00167.x

First Department

Biology

Second Department

Mathematics

Acknowledgements

Free access article retrieved April 2, 2021 from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1939-7445.2005.tb00167.x

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