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Effects of occupancy estimation on abundance-occupancy relationships
Cleber Ten Caten1, Lauren A Holian1, Tad Dallas1
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29205, USA.
Biology Letters
|June 8, 2022
Summary
The assumption that species can occupy all sampled sites impacts abundance-occupancy relationships. Refining occupancy estimates to consider only suitable sites (spatial and environmental occupancy) reveals weaker relationships, leading to more robust ecological assessments.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Biodiversity research
- Species distribution modeling
Background:
- Abundance-occupancy relationships are a cornerstone of ecological theory.
- Traditional occupancy estimation assumes species can inhabit all sampled sites, potentially inflating observed relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of occupancy estimation methods on abundance-occupancy relationships.
- To assess if considering spatial and environmental constraints refines these ecological relationships.
Main Methods:
- Utilized National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) small-mammal data.
- Compared traditional occupancy estimates with spatial and environmental occupancy estimates.
- Analyzed abundance-occupancy relationships under different occupancy assumptions.
Main Results:
- Weaker abundance-occupancy relationships were observed when occupancy was estimated considering only sites within a species' spatial and environmental niche.
- The assumption of universal site suitability significantly influences the strength of abundance-occupancy relationships.
Conclusions:
- The method of occupancy estimation critically affects the assessment of abundance-occupancy relationships.
- Estimating occupancy based on species' actual colonization potential (spatial and environmental) provides a more robust understanding of ecological patterns.
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