Estimating Fine-Scale Movement Patterns of Black Bear using GPS Telemetry
| dc.contributor.author | Callahan, Catherine | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-10-17T17:05:43Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-10-17T17:05:43Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2010-05-27 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Animal behavior is guided by needs and constraints in response to surroundings and is measured by the individual’s location. Our goal was to explore the use of fine- scale movement data collected with GPS telemetry. The objectives were to evaluate low- cost Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry collars and programming required to obtain fine-scale movement data of American black bear (Ursus americanus). The data provided insight to landscape factors influencing access by black bears to human-related food sources. Technology costs have been reduced substantially in the past few years, making short-term deployments of GPS telemetry collars a cost effective method of collecting fine-scale spatial and temporal data. The study was conducted during spring and summer 2007-2009 with planned collar deployments at four weeks and GPS collection at 10-minute intervals to distinguish bear activity within the community. A Brownian Bridge Movement Model (Horne et al. 2007) was used to determine probability of occurrence distributions based on GPS locations with measured error. Fixed kernel density functions show spatial clustering and define areas of animal activity. Brownian Bridge probability densities show spatial pattern of animal movement. The Brownian Bridge probability surfaces were used to select values of co-occurring landscape features and analyzed using a classification tree method to determine which landscape features bears selected when moving through human communities. Fine-scale movement data could also be used to relate continuous probability of occurrence to landscape features, using the Marzluff et al. (2004) Resource Utilization Function approach to remove spatial autocorrelation. Identifying fine-scale habitat selection or use of travel corridors will require short GPS sampling intervals to determine which landscape factors influence movement. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Mary Ann McGarry, Major Advisor, Associate Professor of Science Education, Center for the Environment and Department of Environmental Science and Policy _____________________________________________________ Thomas R. Boucher, Associate Professor and Director, Statistical Consulting Center Department of Mathematics, Plymouth State University _____________________________________________________ Andrew Timmins, Bear Project Leader, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department _____________________________________________________ Brian Eisenhauer, Interim Director of the Center for the Environment; , Graduate Coordinator of the M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy, and Associate Professor of Sociology, Plymouth State University | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12774/459 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.title | Estimating Fine-Scale Movement Patterns of Black Bear using GPS Telemetry | |
| dc.type | Thesis |