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Methods for Image-based Surveys of Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Their Habitat Exemplified by the Drop Camera Survey for the Atlantic Sea Scallop
Published on: July 2, 2018
Using information theory to select spatial scales for species-habitat responses with camera traps
Marissa A Dyck1, Emerald Arthurs1, Megan Braun1
1School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Summary
Understanding species responses to landscape change is key. This study found that the best spatial scales for analyzing mammal-habitat relationships varied widely and unpredictably across species and landscape features, highlighting the need for multi-scale ecological analyses.
Area of Science:
- Landscape Ecology
- Wildlife Ecology
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Anthropogenic landscape change significantly alters ecosystems, posing challenges for understanding species' responses.
- Remote camera traps are crucial for wildlife monitoring, but inferring species-habitat relationships is complicated by the spatial scale of landscape data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate predictable patterns in spatial scale for mammal species-habitat relationships in a developed landscape.
- To determine how best-supported spatial scales differ between anthropogenic and natural landscape features.
- To examine if species traits influence optimal spatial scales and if scale patterns emerge from multi-scale modeling.
Main Methods:
- Utilized camera trap data from 11 mammal species in a highly developed landscape.
- Applied a multi-scale, information-theoretic modeling approach to analyze species-habitat relationships.
- Evaluated a range of spatial scales (250m to 5000m) for landscape features.
Main Results:
- Best-supported spatial scales varied across the entire range of scales examined (250m–5000m).
- Optimal scales differed between anthropogenic and natural features for most species, but without a consistent pattern.
- No consistent relationship was found between optimal scales and species traits like body size or trophic level.
Conclusions:
- Species-habitat relationships are complex and context-dependent, with no universal characteristic spatial scale.
- Evaluating a broad range of spatial scales and employing multi-scale approaches are essential for robust ecological inference.
- Transparent reporting of scale decisions is critical for understanding species' responses to landscape change.
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