Survival, movement, and resource use of the butterfly Parnassius clodius
TL;DR: The study examined how resources affected butterfly distribution patterns and used mark–recapture data to gain insight into movement differences between sexes and over time.
Abstract: . 1. A mark–recapture study was conducted on the American Apollo butterfly Parnassius clodius Menetries during three field seasons (1998–2000) to examine its movement patterns over the course of a season within a sagebrush meadow in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, U.S.A. The study examined how resources affected butterfly distribution patterns and used mark–recapture data to gain insight into movement differences between sexes and over time.
2. The average straight-line movement of P. clodius was 202 m day−1, adjusted for sampling effort at different distances. Movement estimates in all 3 years were highly correlated with the average distance between plots sampled.
3. Butterfly abundance was correlated positively with per cent cover of its host plant Dicentra uniflora, but this relationship decreased in importance during the peak of the flight period when individuals may be more interested in finding mates. There was a weak, positive correlation between butterfly abundance and the abundance of its primary nectar source, Eriogonum umbellatum in 1999, but no relationship in 2000.
4. Survival, recapture, and transition probabilities were estimated using open population, capture–recapture models. Survival and recapture probability decreased over the course of each season, while the probability of moving between plots increased. Recapture probability was significantly lower for females than for males among all 3 years, but there was no difference between the sexes in survival rate.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review the 7 major classes of mark-recapture models that investigators can use to estimate apparent survival and other parameters from live-encounter data.
Abstract: Estimation of demographic parameters is central to research questions in wildlife management, conservation, and evolutionary ecology. I review the 7 major classes of mark–recapture models that investigators can use to estimate apparent survival and other parameters from live-encounter data. Return rates are the product of 4 probabilities: true survival (S), site fidelity (F), site propensity (δ), and true detection (p*). Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) models improve upon return rates by separating apparent survival (ϕ = S × F) from the probability of encounter (p = δ × p*). The main drawback to mark–recapture models based on live-encounter data is that the complement of apparent survival (1 − ϕ) includes losses to mortality and to permanent emigration, and these 2 ecological processes are difficult to disentangle. Advanced mark–recapture models require additional sampling effort but estimate apparent survival with greater precision and less bias, and they also offer estimates of other useful demograph...
200 citations
Cites background or methods from "Survival, movement, and resource us..."
...Investigators also have applied multi-strata models in situations where the habitat is subdivided but patches are contiguous (Hestbeck et al. 1991, Murphy 2001, Béchet et al. 2003, Pettorelli et al. 2003, Auckland et al. 2004)....
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...…et al. 1995, Lens et al. 2002, Brown et al. 2003, Serrano et al. 2005), habitat quality (Senar et al. 2002, Pettorelli et al. 2003), and hunting activity (Béchet et al. 2003), as well as temporal variation in resource abundance (Auckland et al. 2004) and climatic conditions (Hestbeck et al. 1991)....
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...Fourth, I discuss applications to wildlife populations, but investigators can also apply mark– recapture models for live-encounter data to plants (Shefferson et al. 2003, Kéry and Gregg 2004), insects (Auckland et al. 2004), fish (Labonne and Gaudin 2005), and other organisms....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that butterfly population dynamics, mobility and spatial structure can only properly be understood in the context of a resource-based definition of habitats, and argue that patch-based definitions of habitats are inappropriate for some species and for others do not provide a universal panacea, inadequately explaining spatial occurrence when scaled over space and time.
Abstract: Current definitions of habitat are closely allied to the concept of patch and matrix. This concept is, for instance, central to the prevailing metapopulation models of population dynamics. But, butterfly population dynamics, mobility and spatial structure can only properly be understood in the context of a resource-based definition of habitats. In criticising current definitions of habitat, we illustrate how habitat is best understood in terms of resource distributions. These transcend vegetation-based definitions of habitat and lie at the root of life history strategies, the vulnerability of butterflies to environmental changes and extinction, and govern conservation status. We emphasise the need for a resource-use database and demonstrate the shortcomings of current data for conserving butterflies; patch based definitions of habitats are inappropriate for some species and for others do not provide a universal panacea, inadequately explaining spatial occurrence when scaled over space and time. A resource-based habitat definition challenges the bipolar, patch vs. matrix view of landscape; the alternative is to view landscape as a continuum of overlapping resource distributions. We urge greater attention to the details of butterfly behaviour and resource use as the keys to understanding how landscape is exploited and therefore to successful conservation at the landscape scale.
197 citations
Cites background from "Survival, movement, and resource us..."
...Work on the spatial dynamics of Parnassius species (e.g., Matter and Roland 2002; Auckland et al. 2004 ) indicates the complexity of defining a habitat, with recognition that it involves a range of adult and larval resources even for a group of relatively specialised species with narrow resource ranges....
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...Work on the spatial dynamics of Parnassius species (e.g., Matter and Roland 2002; Auckland et al. 2004) indicates the complexity of defining a habitat, with recognition that it involves a range of adult and larval resources even for a group of relatively specialised species with narrow resource…...
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TL;DR: Using variation partitioning and hierarchical partitioning, the variation in occupancy and abundance of the clouded apollo butterfly was decomposed into independent and joint effects of larval and adult food resources, microclimate and habitat quantity.
Abstract: Variation partitioning and hierarchical partitioning are novel statistical approaches that provide deeper understanding of the importance of different explanatory variables for biodiversity patterns than traditional regression methods. Using these methods, the variation in occupancy and abundance of the clouded apollo butterfly (Parnassius mnemosyne L.) was decomposed into independent and joint effects of larval and adult food resources, microclimate and habitat quantity. The independent effect of habitat quantity variables (habitat area and connectivity) captured the largest fraction of the variation in the clouded apollo patterns, but habitat connectivity had a major contribution only for occupancy data. The independent effects of resources and microclimate were higher on butterfly abundance than on occupancy. However, a considerable amount of variation in the butterfly patterns was accounted for by the joint effects of predictors and may thus be causally related to two or all three groups of variables. Abundance of the butterfly in the surroundings of the focal grid cell had a significant effect in all analyses, independently of the effects of other predictors. Our results encourage wider applications of partitioning methods in biodiversity studies.
196 citations
Cites background from "Survival, movement, and resource us..."
...…of larval host plant and adult nectar sources for butterfly abundance (or occupancy) has been demonstrated by numerous studies (e.g. Dennis 1992; Loertscher et al. 1995; Clausen et al. 2001; Thomas et al. 2001; Fleishman et al. 2002; Anthes et al. 2003; Auckland et al. 2004; WallisDeVries 2004)....
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...The importance of the amounts of larval host plant and adult nectar sources for butterfly abundance (or occupancy) has been demonstrated by numerous studies (e.g. Dennis 1992; Loertscher et al. 1995; Clausen et al. 2001; Thomas et al. 2001; Fleishman et al. 2002; Anthes et al. 2003; Auckland et al. 2004; WallisDeVries 2004)....
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TL;DR: Among the factors considered, wingspan was the most important determinant of dispersal ability, although the predictive powers of regression models were low, and phylogenetic relatedness was significant in one data set.
Abstract: 1. Dispersal ability of a species is a key ecological characteristic, affecting a range of processes from adaptation, community dynamics and genetic structure, to distribution and range size. It is determined by both intrinsic species traits and extrinsic landscape-related properties. 2. Using butterflies as a model system, the following questions were addressed: (i) given similar extrinsic factors, which intrinsic species trait(s) explain dispersal ability? (ii) can one of these traits be used as a proxy for dispersal ability? (iii) the effect of interactions between the traits, and phylogenetic relatedness, on dispersal ability. 3. Four data sets, using different measures of dispersal, were compiled from published literature. The first data set uses mean dispersal distances from capture-mark-recapture studies, and the other three use mobility indices. Data for six traits that can potentially affect dispersal ability were collected: wingspan, larval host plant specificity, adult habitat specificity, mate location strategy, voltinism and flight period duration. Each data set was subjected to both unifactorial, and multifactorial, phylogenetically controlled analyses. 4. Among the factors considered, wingspan was the most important determinant of dispersal ability, although the predictive powers of regression models were low. Voltinism and flight period duration also affect dispersal ability, especially in case of temperate species. Interactions between the factors did not affect dispersal ability, and phylogenetic relatedness was significant in one data set. 5. While using wingspan as the only proxy for dispersal ability maybe problematic, it is usually the only easily accessible species-specific trait for a large number of species. It can thus be a satisfactory proxy when carefully interpreted, especially for analyses involving many species from all across the world.
184 citations
TL;DR: The software and use of easily applied information-theoretic scores of match parsimony provide a reliable and freely available method for individual identification of wildlife, with wide applications and the potential to improve mark-recapture studies without resorting to invasive marking techniques.
Abstract: Effective approaches for the management and conservation of wildlife populations require a sound knowledge of population demographics, and this is often only possible through mark-recapture studies. We applied an automated spot-recognition program (I3S) for matching natural markings of wildlife that is based on a novel information-theoretic approach to incorporate matching uncertainty. Using a photo-identification database of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) as an example case, the information criterion (IC) algorithm we developed resulted in a parsimonious ranking of potential matches of individuals in an image library. Automated matches were compared to manual-matching results to test the performance of the software and algorithm. Validation of matched and non-matched images provided a threshold IC weight (approximately 0.2) below which match certainty was not assured. Most images tested were assigned correctly; however, scores for the by-eye comparison were lower than expected, possibly due to the low sample size. The effect of increasing horizontal angle of sharks in images reduced matching likelihood considerably. There was a negative linear relationship between the number of matching spot pairs and matching score, but this relationship disappeared when using the IC algorithm. The software and use of easily applied information-theoretic scores of match parsimony provide a reliable and freely available method for individual identification of wildlife, with wide applications and the potential to improve mark-recapture studies without resorting to invasive marking techniques.
176 citations
References
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Proceedings Article•
01 Jan 1973
TL;DR: The classical maximum likelihood principle can be considered to be a method of asymptotic realization of an optimum estimate with respect to a very general information theoretic criterion to provide answers to many practical problems of statistical model fitting.
Abstract: In this paper it is shown that the classical maximum likelihood principle can be considered to be a method of asymptotic realization of an optimum estimate with respect to a very general information theoretic criterion. This observation shows an extension of the principle to provide answers to many practical problems of statistical model fitting.
18,539 citations
"Survival, movement, and resource us..." refers methods in this paper
...…probabilities using numerical maximum likelihood techniques, and computes bias-corrected versions of Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) values for each model, which enabled models to be fitted and hypotheses to be tested objectively (Akaike, 1973; Pollock et al., 1990; Burnham et al., 1995)....
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...Program Mark estimates recapture, survival, and movement probabilities using numerical maximum likelihood techniques, and computes bias-corrected versions of Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) values for each model, which enabled models to be fitted and hypotheses to be tested objectively (Akaike, 1973; Pollock et al., 1990; Burnham et al., 1995)....
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...The fit of these models was then compared with the fit of models with and without time effects using AIC values (Akaike, 1973)....
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01 Jan 1973
TL;DR: In this paper, it is shown that the classical maximum likelihood principle can be considered to be a method of asymptotic realization of an optimum estimate with respect to a very general information theoretic criterion.
Abstract: In this paper it is shown that the classical maximum likelihood principle can be considered to be a method of asymptotic realization of an optimum estimate with respect to a very general information theoretic criterion. This observation shows an extension of the principle to provide answers to many practical problems of statistical model fitting.
15,424 citations
TL;DR: Mark as discussed by the authors provides parameter estimates from marked animals when they are re-encountered at a later time as dead recoveries, or live recaptures or re-sightings.
Abstract: MARK provides parameter estimates from marked animals when they are re-encountered at a later time as dead recoveries, or live recaptures or re-sightings. The time intervals between re-encounters do not have to be equal. More than one attribute group of animals can be modelled. The basic input to MARK is the encounter history for each animal. MARK can also estimate the size of closed populations. Parameters can be constrained to be the same across re-encounter occasions, or by age, or group, using the parameter index matrix. A set of common models for initial screening of data are provided. Time effects, group effects, time x group effects and a null model of none of the above, are provided for each parameter. Besides the logit function to link the design matrix to the parameters of the model, other link functions include the log—log, complimentary log—log, sine, log, and identity. The estimates of model parameters are computed via numerical maximum likelihood techniques. The number of parameters that are...
7,128 citations
TL;DR: A recent survey of capture-recapture models can be found in this article, with an emphasis on flexibility in modeling, model selection, and the analysis of multiple data sets.
Abstract: The understanding of the dynamics of animal populations and of related ecological and evolutionary issues frequently depends on a direct analysis of life history parameters. For instance, examination of trade-offs between reproduction and survival usually rely on individually marked animals, for which the exact time of death is most often unknown, because marked individuals cannot be followed closely through time. Thus, the quantitative analysis of survival studies and experiments must be based on capture- recapture (or resighting) models which consider, besides the parameters of primary interest, recapture or resighting rates that are nuisance parameters. Capture-recapture models oriented to estimation of survival rates are the result of a recent change in emphasis from earlier approaches in which population size was the most important parameter, survival rates having been first introduced as nuisance parameters. This emphasis on survival rates in capture-recapture models developed rapidly in the 1980s and used as a basic structure the Cormack-Jolly-Seber survival model applied to an homogeneous group of animals, with various kinds of constraints on the model parameters. These approaches are conditional on first captures; hence they do not attempt to model the initial capture of unmarked animals as functions of population abundance in addition to survival and capture probabilities. This paper synthesizes, using a common framework, these recent developments together with new ones, with an emphasis on flexibility in modeling, model selection, and the analysis of multiple data sets. The effects on survival and capture rates of time, age, and categorical variables characterizing the individuals (e.g., sex) can be considered, as well as interactions between such effects. This "analysis of variance" philosophy emphasizes the structure of the survival and capture process rather than the technical characteristics of any particular model. The flexible array of models encompassed in this synthesis uses a common notation. As a result of the great level of flexibility and relevance achieved, the focus is changed from fitting a particular model to model building and model selection. The following procedure is recommended: (1) start from a global model compatible with the biology of the species studied and with the design of the study, and assess its fit; (2) select a more parsimonious model using Akaike's Information Criterion to limit the number of formal tests; (3) test for the most important biological questions by comparing this model with neighboring ones using likelihood ratio tests; and (4) obtain maximum likelihood estimates of model parameters with estimates of precision. Computer software is critical, as few of the models now available have parameter estimators that are in closed form. A comprehensive table of existing computer software is provided. We used RELEASE for data summary and goodness-of-fit tests and SURGE for iterative model fitting and the computation of likelihood ratio tests. Five increasingly complex examples are given to illustrate the theory. The first, using two data sets on the European Dipper (Cinclus cinclus), tests for sex-specific parameters,
4,038 citations
01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: This paper synthesizes, using a common framework, recent developments of capture-recapture models oriented to estimation of survival rates together with new ones, with an emphasis on flexibility in modeling, model selection, and the analysis of multiple data sets.
4,011 citations
"Survival, movement, and resource us..." refers background in this paper
...In all years the fit of these competing differed by 2 AIC units, which indicates that bothmodels have someweight in explaining the observed variation in apparent survival and recapture (Lebreton et al., 1992)....
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...Movement probability is the probability of moving between plots during a sampling interval given that a butterfly survived (Hestbeck et al., 1991; Lebreton et al., 1992)....
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...Recent developments in statistical theory facilitate in-depth hypothesis testing from mark–recapture data (Lebreton et al., 1992, 1993)....
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...In all years the fit of these competing differed by <2 AIC units, which indicates that bothmodels have someweight in explaining the observed variation in apparent survival and recapture (Lebreton et al., 1992)....
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...Because return probability is a function of both survival and recapture probability, correct analyses of these parameters are critical for understanding population biology and life-history parameters (Lebreton et al., 1992; Schmidt & Anholt, 1999)....
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