Detection Heterogeneity and Abundance Estimation in Populations of Golden-Cheeked Warblers (Setophaga Chrysoparia)

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorWeckerly, Floyd W.
dc.contributor.authorWarren, Christopher C.
dc.contributor.authorVeech, Joseph A.
dc.contributor.authorO'Donnell, Lisa
dc.contributor.authorOtt, James R.
dc.date.accessioned2016-05-09T20:53:49Z
dc.date.available2016-05-09T20:53:49Z
dc.date.issued2013-01
dc.description.abstractAbundance estimators that account for imperfect detection, such as N-mixture models, assume that detection of individuals is independent of abundance. Using spot-mapping and N-mixture models applied to point-count data, we estimated abundance of Golden cheeked Warblers (Setophaga chrysoparia) in two years at six study sites at the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, Austin, Texas. N-mixture model estimates deviated from spot-mapping estimates at the site level by overestimating at low abundances, and at the survey-station level by underestimating at high abundance, which suggests that model assumptions may have been violated. We tested whether detection of individuals is influenced by abundance by assessing per capita song rate in relation to abundance. Per capita song rate increased with abundance, illustrating how the behavior of a territorial passerine may violate the independent-detectability assumption. We next explored violation of this assumption at the survey-station level by applying N-mixture models to simulated data exhibiting heterogeneity in detection. This exercise revealed a slight but increasingly negative bias (underestimation of abundance) in the estimator as the actual abundance increased, given positive density-dependent detection. The simulations also revealed a potential effect of sampling variation on misestimation by N-mixture model estimators. Assessing the strength, basis, and prevalence of density-dependent detection; further analyzing the effects of nonrandom heterogeneity in producing estimator bias; and accounting for nonrandom detection heterogeneity in abundance estimators are fruitful areas for further study. Received 31 January 2013, accepted 13 September 2013.
dc.description.departmentBiology
dc.formatText
dc.format.extent12 pages
dc.format.medium1 file (.pdf)
dc.identifier.citationWarren, C. C., Veech, J. A., Weckerly, F. W., O'Donnell, L., Ott, J. R. (2013). Detection heterogeneity and abundance estimation in populations of golden-cheeked warblers (Setophaga Chrysoparia). The Auk, 130(4), pp. 677-688.
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1525/auk.2013.13022
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/5980
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherThe American Ornithologists Union
dc.rights.holder© 2013 The American Ornithologists' Union
dc.sourceThe Auk, 2013, Vol. 130, No. 4, pp. 677-688.
dc.subjectdetection probability
dc.subjectgolden-cheeked Warbler
dc.subjectsetophaga chrysoparia
dc.subjectabundance estimators
dc.subjectN-mixture model
dc.subjectsong rate
dc.subjectBiology
dc.titleDetection Heterogeneity and Abundance Estimation in Populations of Golden-Cheeked Warblers (Setophaga Chrysoparia)
dc.typeArticle

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
auk.2013.13022.pdf
Size:
621.99 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
2.54 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

College of Science and Engineering