Category Archives: Detectability

CSI: Ecology. Efficiency of eDNA sampling

Posted on June 1, 2016 by

Detecting a species from the DNA it left behind seems so much like CSI: Ecology. DNA deposited in the environment (eDNA for the cool kids), which can then be collected and identified, is increasingly advocated for ecological studies (Ficetola et … Continue reading →

Posted in CEED, Detectability, Ecological models, New research, Probability and Bayesian analysis | Tagged , , , ,

While I was sleeping: optimising ecological surveys over space and time

Posted on April 11, 2016 by

With the recent online publication of a new paper, here’s a blog post about how the research arose – a fun confluence of mathematical and cognitive collaboration across two sides of the world. And some of it was achieved while … Continue reading →

Posted in CEED, Detectability, Ecological models, New research, Probability and Bayesian analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Biodiversity management and unplanned fires

Posted on December 5, 2014 by

Edit: Missed my seminar? You can listen to a recording with a copy of the slides: http://unimelb.adobeconnect.com/p913xeq1mjx/ I’m doing a seminar today at Creswick on fire and biodiversity (9:30 a.m., Melbourne time). My talk will discuss unplanned fires, how their … Continue reading →

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My talk at #ISEC2014

Posted on July 4, 2014 by

I’m speaking tomorrow on the last afternoon of the International Statistical Ecology Conference in Montpellier. I’ll be arguing that usual metrics (e.g., AIC) to measure the performance of species distribution models (SDMs) might not actually be relevant for selecting models … Continue reading →

Posted in CEED, Communication, Detectability, Ecological indices, Ecological models, New research, Probability and Bayesian analysis | 1 Comment

Optimal monitoring when detectability varies – my talk at #ESAus2012

Posted on December 3, 2012 by

Edit: A paper based on this work has now been published in PLoS One (open access, i.e. free). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115345. I’m looking forward to the Ecological Society of Australia conference this week. I’m speaking in the second time slot (2:15 … Continue reading →

Posted in CEED, Communication, Detectability, Ecological models, New research, Probability and Bayesian analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Detectability and traits of plants

Posted on November 14, 2012 by

If you’ve seen previous posts, you would realise that I am interested in the topic of imperfect detectability in field surveys. I’m interested in what influences detectability, how to account for it in analyses, and what it means when designing … Continue reading →

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The detection of species and their abundance

Posted on October 3, 2012 by

Update (this has now been published): McCarthy, M.A., Moore, J.L., Morris, W.K., Parris, K.M., Garrard, G.E., Vesk, P.A., Rumpff, L., Giljohann, K.M., Camac, J.S., Bau, S.S., Friend, T., Harrison, B., and Yue, B. (2013). The influence of abundance on detectabiliy. … Continue reading →

Posted in Detectability, New research | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

L’Oréal Australia and New Zealand For Women in Science Fellowships 2012

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

Applications for the 2012 L’Oréal Australia and New Zealand For Women in Science Fellowships are now open. The three $25,000 Fellowships are intended to help early career women scientists consolidate their careers and rise to leadership positions in science. The … Continue reading →

Posted in CEED, Detectability, Ecological models, NERP, New research, Women in science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Interpreting non-detection when observations are imperfect

Posted on March 14, 2012 by

How long should you search before deciding that your target is absent? This is a problem that is fundamental to any ecological study that aims to determine the absence of a species. It will be important in studies of extinction, … Continue reading →

Posted in CEED, Detectability, Ecological models, NERP, New research, Probability and Bayesian analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coextinction and recognition for unloved threatened species

Posted on March 9, 2012 by

I love this quote from Bob May (1986) – “to a good approximation, all species are insects”. Mark Burgman and David Lindenmayer’s (1998) book communicates that point beautifully, with an illustration by Kate Thompson in which the size of the … Continue reading →

Posted in CEED, Detectability, Probability and Bayesian analysis | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments