Research Techniques in Animal Ecology - Overview doc

Research Techniques in Animal Ecology Methods and Cases in Conservation Science Mary C. Pearl, Editor Methods and Cases in Conservation Science Tropical Deforestation: Small Farmers and Land Clearing in the Ecuadorian Amazon Thomas K. Rudel and Bruce Horowitz Bison: Mating and Conservation in Small Populations Joel Berger and Carol Cunningham, Population Management for Survival and Recovery: Analytical Methods and Strategies in Small Population Conservation Jonathan D. Ballou, Michael Gilpin, and Thomas J. Foose, Conserving Wildlife: International Education and Communication Approaches Susan K. Jacobson Remote Sensing Imagery for Natural Resources Management: A First Time User’s Guide David S. Wilkie and John T. Finn At the End of the Rainbow? Gold, Land, and People in the Brazilian Amazon Gordon MacMillan Perspectives in Biological Diversity Series Conserving Natural Value Holmes Rolston III Series Editor, Mary C. Pearl Series Advisers, Christine Padoch and Douglas Daly Research Techniques in Animal Ecology Controversies and Consequences Luigi Boitani and Todd K. Fuller Editors C COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW YORK Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © 2000 by Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Research techniques in animal ecology : controversies and consequences / Luigi Boitani and Todd K. Fuller, editors. p. cm. — (Methods and cases in conservation science) Includes bibliographical references (p. ). ISBN 0–231–11340–4 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 0–231–11341–2 (paper : alk. paper) 1. Animal ecology—Research—Methodology. I. Boitani, Luigi. II. Fuller, T. K. III. Series. QH541.2.R47 2000 591.7′07′2—dc21 99–052230 ϱ Casebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Stefania and Caterina and Susan and Mollie for their patience, love, and support [...]... studying animal populations without greater discipline These intrinsic difficulties in studying animal ecology underlie many of the weaknesses in the research methodologies available to researchers today Certainly the quality of the research is sometimes limited by logistic and environmental adversities, by the problems of translating into practice an experimental design worked out at the drawing board,... problems of hypothesis testing in ecology Despite the fact that most ecologists and students in ecology think that good hypothesis development is self-evident to any rational person, Krebs makes a convincing case that the intellectual baggage of assumptions we all carry ought to be questioned seriously Marking individual animals is often a prerequisite of many research designs in animal ecology Although most... hope the book, by specifically investigating the many ways in which research techniques are incorrectly applied, will contribute to increasing the consistency and reliability of the scientific method in ecology and conservation The book includes the topics that are most frequently reported in the scientific literature in ecology and conservation, but rarely critically reviewed in a comprehensive manner We... survival analyses), but no single volume has presented a whole range of topics relevant to animal ecology In the course of the last 20 years of teaching, research, and editing, we have become increasingly convinced of the need for a book like this, with its critical look at how ecological research is conducted and interpreted, and we hope it will provide insight and reassurance for the research community Furthermore,... is found easily in any current issue of the most important journals in animal ecology However, the topic is full of delusions, as explained by David L Garshelis in chapter 4 There are problems in defining and measuring habitats, measuring what is P R E FA C E really available to an animal, and assessing whether and what selection is eventually made by an individual Adequately addressing the assumptions... address the most interesting new perspectives on how best to analyze and interpret data collected in a variety of research areas It is not a handbook of techniques; rather, it is designed as a backup for existing handbooks, providing a critical perspective on the most common topics and techniques Such a critical review of methodologies is rare in animal ecology Historically, a few individual papers... of Behavioral Interactions Methods for Behavioral Measurement Identifying the Individual Sampling and Recording Rules Ad Libitum Sampling Focal Sampling Time Sampling Techniques for Behavioral Measurement Analysis of Observational Data Statistical Rationality Matrix Facilities: Analyzing Sequential Data Lag Sequential and Nested Analysis Searching for a Behavioral Pattern (Markov Chain) Predictability... achieved in the study of real cases takes on fundamental value Without embracing such xxvi P R E FA C E radically critical positions as those summarized by Shrader-Frechette and McCoy (1993), we nevertheless feel that ecology, like any other discipline in the natural sciences, can only benefit from the steadily growing scientific rigor in the study of real cases Animal ecology, in particular, is the field in. .. correlated factors, and Elkinton explores the statistical limitations of research design in detecting different types of density dependence Population monitoring is a key topic in animal ecology and in most wildlife conservation activities However, James P Gibbs, in chapter 7, shows that the validity of the chosen population index is rarely assessed properly and the design of a monitoring program usually... allogrooming behavior 10.4 What constitutes proximity between individuals differs between species I L L U S T R AT I O N S 10.5 Considerations in scoring indices of association 10.6 Exploration of patterns of spatial proximity 10.7 The goal of translating indices of social behavior into evolutionary consequences 10.8 The same observations of social interactions expressed in three ways 10.9 The flow of rubbing . Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © 2000 by Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging -in- Publication Data Research techniques in animal ecology. MacMillan Perspectives in Biological Diversity Series Conserving Natural Value Holmes Rolston III Series Editor, Mary C. Pearl Series Advisers, Christine Padoch and Douglas Daly Research Techniques in Animal Ecology Controversies. Aspects of Measuring Changes in Indices 221 Monitoring Indices Over Time 222 Power Estimation for Monitoring Programs 223 Variability of Indices of Animal Abundance 224 Sampling Requirements