Animals that live in groups can affect their populations and ecosystems in complicated ways, so scientists need good methods to measure how many groups there are, how big they are, and how many individuals live in them. Traditional spatial capture–recapture (SCR) methods can estimate either group density or individual density, but they often give biased results for group-living species because group members move together and group sizes vary. To fix this, a group of researchers including Dr. Briana Abrahms developed a new “cluster SCR” model that can estimate group density, individual density, and group size all at the same time. They tested this model using simulations and real camera-trap data from African wild dogs in Botswana. The new model performed better than standard methods, especially when animals’ movements closely followed their groups, and it helps scientists better understand how group size influences population dynamics.
Authors: Robert L. Emmet, Ben C. Augustine, Briana Abrahms, Lindsey N. Rich, Beth Gardner
Journal: Ecology
DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3576
Photo credit: Leigh West
