Accounting for Lack of Independence and Partial Overlap of Observation Zones in Line-Transect Mark-Recapture Distance Sampling

D. I. MacKenzie () and D. Clement
Additional contact information
D. I. MacKenzie: Proteus Wildlife Research Consultants
D. Clement: Cawthron Institute

Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, 2016, vol. 21, issue 1, No 3, 57 pages

Abstract: Abstract Line-transect mark-recapture distance sampling methods can be used to estimate abundance when at least two observers sight and record distances to detected groups of individuals within the survey area. However, a lack of independence between the observer’s detections will cause biased abundance estimates. Studies are also typically designed such that there is complete overlap of the regions searched by the two observers, but that may not always be possible. Here we detail an intuitive approach for line-transect distance sampling applications based upon logistic regression to account for a potential lack of independence by using the detections of one observer as a covariate in the detection function of the second observer. Partial overlap of the observer survey regions can be addressed by constraining detection probability to equal 0 for the respective observer outside of the overlap zone. We show via simulation that the method provides reliable estimates of abundance and is not affected by random unmodeled heterogeneity in detection probability. The method is illustrated by estimating abundance within the covered region of an aerial line-transect survey for New Zealand’s endemic Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori) conducted in the austral summer of 2013, the motivating application for this work. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear on-line.

Keywords: Abundance estimation; Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori; Dependent sightings; Hector’s dolphins; Line-transect survey; Mark-recapture distance sampling; Partial overlap (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13253-015-0234-1 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:jagbes:v:21:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s13253-015-0234-1

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/13253

DOI: 10.1007/s13253-015-0234-1

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics is currently edited by Stephen Buckland

More articles in Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics from Springer, The International Biometric Society, American Statistical Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().