A utilization distribution is a probability distribution giving the probability density that an animal is found at a given point in space. It is estimated from data sampling the location of an individual or individuals in space over a period of time using, for example, telemetry or GPS based methods.
Estimation of utilization distribution was traditionally based on histograms but newer nonparametric methods based on Fourier transformations, kernel density and local convex hull methods have been developed.
The typical application for this distribution is estimating the home range distribution of animals. According to Lichti & Swihart (2011), kernel density methods provided, in many cases, less biased home-range area estimates compared to convex hull methods.
See also
References
- Anderson, D. John (February 1982). "The Home Range: A New Nonparametric Estimation Technique". Ecology. 63 (1): 103–112. doi:10.2307/1937036. ISSN 0012-9658. JSTOR 1937036.
- Worton, B. J. (February 1989). "Kernel Methods for Estimating the Utilization Distribution in Home-Range Studies". Ecology. 70 (1): 164–168. doi:10.2307/1938423. ISSN 0012-9658. JSTOR 1938423.
- Lichti, Nathanael I.; Swihart, Robert K. (February 2011). "Estimating utilization distributions with kernel versus local convex hull methods". The Journal of Wildlife Management. 75 (2): 413–422. doi:10.1002/jwmg.48. ISSN 0022-541X.
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