Inferring animal densities from tracking data using Markov chains

PLoS One. 2013 Apr 22;8(4):e60901. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060901. Print 2013.

Abstract

The distributions and relative densities of species are keys to ecology. Large amounts of tracking data are being collected on a wide variety of animal species using several methods, especially electronic tags that record location. These tracking data are effectively used for many purposes, but generally provide biased measures of distribution, because the starts of the tracks are not randomly distributed among the locations used by the animals. We introduce a simple Markov-chain method that produces unbiased measures of relative density from tracking data. The density estimates can be over a geographical grid, and/or relative to environmental measures. The method assumes that the tracked animals are a random subset of the population in respect to how they move through the habitat cells, and that the movements of the animals among the habitat cells form a time-homogenous Markov chain. We illustrate the method using simulated data as well as real data on the movements of sperm whales. The simulations illustrate the bias introduced when the initial tracking locations are not randomly distributed, as well as the lack of bias when the Markov method is used. We believe that this method will be important in giving unbiased estimates of density from the growing corpus of animal tracking data.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animal Distribution
  • Animals
  • Computer Simulation
  • Ecuador
  • Female
  • Markov Chains
  • Models, Biological*
  • Population Density
  • Sperm Whale*

Grants and funding

The sperm whale field research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the International Whaling Commission, Cetacean Society International, and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, and was carried out under permits from the Galapagos National Park Service. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.