Hobart

Seminar Abstract

Tuesday 25 May 2010, 11.30am (Tas time)
CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart

Toby Patterson
CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
Hobart

Estimating linkages between behaviour and environment from animal tracking data

Over the past few decades researchers have used animal-borne electronic devices and sensors to collect a wealth of data on the movements of animals and their environment. A key goal of this work has been to gauge how animal behaviours and movements are influenced by habitat. Here behaviours are broadly defined, but may incorporate feeding, migration and residency, amongst other aspects. Typically such behaviours are not directly observed and must be inferred from tracking and telemetry data alone. Several analysis approaches to this problem have been proposed in the literature. However until recently, none had emerged as a clearly preferred option. Recently, state-space approaches have gained favour and appear to offer a solution which overcomes some of the drawbacks of other methods. I investigate examples of the state-space statistical approach to modelling movement behaviour in both horizontal and vertical dimensions as a function of habitat via several case studies. These are used to correct for location error in satellite tracking data and to model switches in movement behaviour in relation to covariates, thereby estimating the relationship between movement, behaviour and physical descriptors of ocean state and other covariates. In this talk I will consider the statistical issues of model-selection and diagnostics, population-level inferences about behaviour, and the potential for spatial prediction of behaviour. I will also touch upon issues of statistical design in electronic tagging studies and consider future directions in analysis of individual movement data.

Seminar recording

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Location:
CSIRO = Marine Laboratories Auditorium, Castray Esplanade, Hobart

For further information, or to schedule a seminar, contact:
To schedule a seminar, contact:
Clothilde Langlais, (Oceanographic seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5399
Natalie Kelly, (Biology/Modelling seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research 0438 452 483
Jillian Enraght-Moony, (seminar administrator) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5320
Communications Manager, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC (03) 6226 2265
Tracey Cochrane, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (03) 6226 2937

Last updated 8/06/10