Workshops and Symposia

Workshop:  New Approaches to Analysis of Home Range, Resource
Selection and Space Use

2007 Annual Meeting of Cooper Ornithological Society

Moscow, Idaho

Purpose:

The primary objectives of this workshop are to briefly review historic methods for analysis of home range, resource selection and space use and describe new approaches based on using information theoretic tools to evaluate multivariate models of animal movement, resource selection and space use based on underlying ecological processes (e.g. defending a territory, provisioning a nest/den, foraging, accumulating knowledge of resource distributions, dispersing) and fundamental theoretical models (e.g. random walks, optimal foraging). These new approaches dramatically improve on historic methods by utilizing maximum-likelihood methods to estimate parameters of the models. One version of the approach is particularly applicable to the new data gathered using satellite and gps telemetry or intensive studies in which animals are observed almost continuously or at short intervals. These approaches also incorporate location error into the analysis procedures and resulting estimates.

The secondary objective is to introduce avian biologists to new software available to analyze radio tracking location data that simultaneously evaluates patterns of movement, home range and habitat selection within a geographic information system describing key resources and habitats available to the birds.

Outline of Workshop Presentations:

Welcome and introduction Critical questions for design:

Observational or manipulative
Testing hypotheses or building models
Home range size: History of concept and approaches
Parametric estimators (MCP, Bivariate normal, exponential power, etc.)
Non-parametric estimators (Fourier Series, Kernel, etc.)
Modeling space use as a probability distribution
Maximum likelihood approaches to parameter estimation
Choosing best models using information theoretic approach
Bias: correcting for satellite acquisition and other sources of bias
Applying Brownian bridges to closely spaced locations
Habitat utilization – resource selection: History and approaches

Univariate statistical models

Multivariate models

Incorporating habitat/resources into home range models: Synoptic models
Evaluating ecological processes (territories, foraging, breeding, etc.)
Computer software to analyze radio-tracking data
CALHOME
RANGES
Animal Movement Analysis – ArcView 3.2 Extension
Animal Space Use 1.1

Handouts:

            Each participant will receive a 100-page bound (loose-leaf) handout containing detailed outlines of all material presented, a bibliography and reprints/preprints of significant papers authored by the organizers.  The handout will facilitate covering the large amount of material quickly while providing space for attendees to make additional notes.

            Each participant will receive a CD containing copies of new software authored by the organizers as well as pdfs of other relevant papers.

 

The workshop will occur on the University of Idaho campus in the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC), room 123. Part 1 will be conducted on June 19th from 1-5 p.m. and Part 2 will be conducted on the following morning from 8 – 12 in the same room. The TLC building can be found on the campus map provided in the program and the map is also available through the link “Campus Map for Workshops” on the meeting home page.

Minimum attendance required:  15

Maximum attendance: 28

Workshop on the use of stable isotope approaches to answer questions about avian movements, physiology, behavior and ecology.

Blair Wolf, Scott McWilliams and Keith Hobson

Stable isotope approaches are standard tools for avian biologists interested in all aspects of avian life histories. Isotope methods can inform researchers about avian movements, migratory connectivity, resource use, avian physiology, behavior and ecology. The goal of the workshop is to provide a practical introduction to the theory, applications, and techniques of stable isotope ecology that are most applicable to avian biologists. The program is designed so that novices will not be lost, and current users of stable isotopes will not be bored.

See the outline of topics and organization of the workshop for more specifics. This workshop compliments a special symposium on "Stable isotope ecology and birds" that will be held during the COS 2007 Annual Meeting.

The workshop will take place in McClure 209 on the University of Idaho campus. The McClure building can be found on the campus map provided in the program and the map is also available through the link “Campus Map for Workshops” on the meeting home page.

 

OUTLINE OF WORKSHOP TOPICS

1. What’s a stable isotope?  How to be friends with an IRMS: equipment, sampling, and the measurement process.
   1. Stable isotope terminology
   2. Isotopic species of importance to avian biologists
   3. How does a mass spec work
   4. Sample prep and analysis protocols
   5. Emerging technologies and approaches


2. Avian physiology and the isotopic relationship between diet and tissues.
   1. You are what you eat- isotopically that is
   2. Avian metabolism and physiology
   3. Fractionating processes
   4. Turnover and body tissue pools- implications for diet studies
   5. Mixing models and their use


3. Bird movements.
   1. Hydrologic cycle, Isoscapes and base maps
   2. Tissue collection and prep
   3. Fractionation, exchangeable H and determination of origins
   4. Taking advantages of variability in molt cycles and durations, claws and nails
   5. Connections


4. Using isotopes to understand avian diets and the allocation to reproduction.
   1. Terrestrial environments
      1. Photosynthetic pathways and isotopic patterns that define the base of the food web
      2. Resource use at individual, population and community levels
   2. Marine environments
      1. Isotopic patterns that define the base of the food web (C, N, S)
      2. Transport across ecosystem boundaries
      3. Trophic shifts
   3. Allocation of nutrients to reproduction
      1. egg components and capital versus income