A brief guide to model selection, multimodel inference and model averaging in behavioural ecology using Akaike’s information criterion

Symonds, Matthew R. E.; Moussalli, Adnan

doi:10.1007/s00265-010-1037-6

Cited by 1,982 publications

(1,602 citation statements)

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“…We assessed the utility of models of animal activity or population spawning based on a normal or binomial distribution, and an identity or logit link function, respectively. We corrected values of Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) that were generated in Statistica, for over-dispersion of the data in all models (QAIC), and for small sample size in the models of diurnal or nocturnal animal activity (QAIC c ; Symonds & Moussalli 2010). For model averaging we used models with a corrected AIC value that differed by < 2 from that of the "best" model of population spawning, or diurnal or nocturnal animal activity (Symonds & Moussalli 2010).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We corrected values of Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) that were generated in Statistica, for over-dispersion of the data in all models (QAIC), and for small sample size in the models of diurnal or nocturnal animal activity (QAIC c ; Symonds & Moussalli 2010). For model averaging we used models with a corrected AIC value that differed by < 2 from that of the "best" model of population spawning, or diurnal or nocturnal animal activity (Symonds & Moussalli 2010). The importance of a specific predictor was estimated as the sum of the Akaike weights (Σw i ) of all models of diurnal or nocturnal animal activity, or population spawning, which included that specific predictor (Symonds & Moussalli 2010).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For model averaging we used models with a corrected AIC value that differed by < 2 from that of the "best" model of population spawning, or diurnal or nocturnal animal activity (Symonds & Moussalli 2010). The importance of a specific predictor was estimated as the sum of the Akaike weights (Σw i ) of all models of diurnal or nocturnal animal activity, or population spawning, which included that specific predictor (Symonds & Moussalli 2010). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spawning and non-breeding activity of adult giant bullfrogs (Pyxicephalus adspersus)

Yetman

Ferguson

2011

African Journal of Herpetology

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Abstract.-Populations of the Near-Threatened giant bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus)have been poorly monitored due to the unpredictable appearance of this species aboveground. To better understand the activity of P. adspersus we quantified spawning by a population during five summers, and the activity of twenty adult frogs radio-tracked at the same site ca. twice weekly during the first three summers. In addition we examined animal activity, and population spawning in relation to meteorological variables, day of season, and moon light. During the six-month summer period, males and females, respectively, spent 10 ± 7 and 3 ± 2 days at water, and 22 ± 5 and 13 ± 5 nights active. Greater proportions of radio-tracked animals moved overland, and/or foraged at night, around full moon, after heavy rainfall, when cooler, and less windy conditions prevailed. More animals were found at water, or on land during the day, and population spawning was more likely, earlier in summer, following heavier rainfall. Spawning occurred most frequently, in descending order, during December, January, and November, and was triggered by 40 ± 16 mm rain in 24 h. Spawning events lasted 2 ± 1 days, but were prolonged around full moon.Numbers of males at spawning events varied between 30 and 500 males, and were positively correlated with the previous day's rainfall. Annually 6 ± 1 spawning events occurred, and numbers of annual spawning events were positively correlated with total summer rainfall. Results of this study show that single counts of spawning adults will often result in gross underestimates of population size, and therefore, long-term adult counts are necessary to detect real population trends. Due to the unpredictable activity of adults, however, it may be more practical to monitor, within certain areas, the number of aquatic sites where breeding occurs, for improved conservation management of P. adspersus. 3Although photoperiod and the lunar cycle provide predictable cues that amphibians may use to synchronize their behaviour (Fitzgerald & Bider 1974;Both et al. 2008;Canavero & Arim 2009;Grant et al. 2009), the activity of many species is ultimately dictated by unpredictable climatic variables because of their permeable skin and ectothermic bodies (Duellman & Trueb 1994). Among these, precipitation tends to exert the greatest influence (Bulger et al. 2003;Lemckert & Brassil 2003), but temperature (Howard 1978;Van Gelder et al. 1986), humidity (Bellis 1965;Bartelt et al. 2004), wind (Penman et al. 2006Philips et al. 2007), light intensity/cloud cover (Jameson 1955;Blankenhorn 1972), and barometric pressure (Blankenhorn 1972) can also significantly affect amphibian activity. Amphibians in dry and/or cold environments are most limited by suitable warm, wet conditions, making it difficult to predict their behaviour or even their presence (e.g., Bulger et al. 2003;Bartelt et al. 2004;Goldberg & Schwalbe 2004). This can represent a serious challenge for effective conservation management of threatened amphibian taxa (e.g., Penman et al...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spawning and non-breeding activity of adult giant bullfrogs (Pyxicephalus adspersus)

Yetman

Ferguson

2011

African Journal of Herpetology

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“…This avoids problems associated with trying to produce a single best-fit model where the order of parameter deletion or addition can result in different combinations of fixed effects (Burnham and Anderson 1998;Symonds and Moussalli 2011). The approach used Akaike's information criterion (AIC) to compare model fit (Burnham and Anderson 1998).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant traits explain the success of vacuum harvesting as a method of seed collection for the restoration of species-rich grasslands

et al. 2018

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Grassland restoration is a key measure for re-establishing damaged floral communities. As seed banks are often degraded, methods are needed to overcome dispersal limitation of the remnant vegetation. One approach is to vacuum harvest seeds from donor sites. While this is a cost-effective method, individual species' traits describing reproduction methods and dispersal mechanisms may affect the success with which seeds are collected and subsequently germinate. We collected seeds using low-cost vacuum harvesters in species-rich meadows in Poland. We predicted the relative success with which seedlings emerged from this collected material with respect to their percentage cover in the donor sites on the basis of individual species' functional traits. Prolific species that rely on seed as opposed to vegetative reproduction, and those that germinate in late summer/autumn, exhibited the highest level of emergence. To a lesser extent, drought-tolerant or shade-intolerant species were well represented in the collected material. There was also weak evidence that wind-dispersed seeds would have a higher likelihood of being collected by this method. Our results suggest that vacuum harvesting is a valuable method to collect seeds for use in grassland restoration; however, it has limitations. In particular, additional methods may be needed to introduce into grassland restoration sites the propagules of species that vegetatively reproduce or seed early. The overrepresentation of species that produce large numbers of seed may potentially introduce priority effects that could also have unintended long-term implications for the structure of the floral community.

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“…w provides a measure of the strength of evidence for each model and represents the probability that the model is the best among the whole set of candidate models (Franklin et al, 2001;Johnson & Omland, 2004). If w did not provide strong support for any particular model, we used model averaging to stimate the parameters of the variables included in the best model (Symonds & Moussalli, 2011).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet composition and feeding habits of the eyespot skate, Atlantoraja cyclophora (Elasmobranchii: Arhynchobatidae), off Uruguay and northern Argentina

Barbini

Lucifora

2016

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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The eyespot skate, Atlantoraja cyclophora, is an endemic species from the southwestern Atlantic, occurring from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to northern Patagonia, Argentina. The feeding habits of this species, from off Uruguay and north Argentina, were evaluated using a multiple hypothesis modelling approach. In general, the diet was composed mainly of decapod crustaceans, followed by teleost fishes. Molluscs, mysidaceans, amphipods, isopods, lancelets and elasmobranchs were consumed in lower proportion. The consumption of shrimps drecreased with increasing body size of A. cyclophora. On the other hand, the consumption of teleosts increased with body size. Mature individuals preyed more heavily on crabs than immature individuals. Teleosts were consumed more in the south region (34º -38ºS) and crabs in the north region (38º -41ºS). Shrimps were eaten more in the warm season than in the cold season. Prey size increased with increasing body size of A. cyclophora, but large individuals also consumed small teleosts and crabs. Atlantoraja cyclophora has demersal-benthic feeding habits, shifts its diet with increasing body size and in response to seasonal and regional changes in prey availability and distribution.La raya de círculos, Atlantoraja cyclophora, es una especie endémica del Atlántico Sudoccidental, que se distribuye desde Río de Janeiro, Brasil, hasta el norte de la Patagonia, Argentina. Los hábitos alimentarios de esta especie fueron evaluados frente a la costa de Uruguay y norte de Argentina, utilizando un enfoque de modelado de múltiples hipótesis. En general, la dieta estuvo compuesta principalmente por crustáceos decápodos (71,37 %IRI), seguido de peces teleósteos (28,54 %IRI). En menor proporción fueron consumidos moluscos, misidáceos, anfípodos, isópodos, anfioxos y elasmobranquios. El consumo de decápodos Natantia disminuyó con el incremento del tamaño del cuerpo de A. cyclophora. Por otro lado, el consumo de teleósteos se incrementó con el incremento del tamaño del cuerpo. Individuos maduros consumieron cangrejos en mayor proporción que individuos inmaduros. Los teleósteos fueron consumidos mayormente en la región sur (34º -38ºS) y los cangrejos en la región norte (38º -41ºS). Los decápodos Natantia fueron más consumidos en la estación cálida que en la estación fría. El tamaño de las presas consumidas se incrementó con el aumento del tamaño corporal de A. cyclophora, pero individuos de mayor tamaño no abandonadon el consumo de pequeños cangrejos y teleósteos. Atlantoraja cyclophora presenta hábitos alimentarios demersal-bentónicos, cambia su dieta con el incremento del tamaño corporal y en respuesta a cambios estacionales y regionales en la disponibilidad y distribución de las presas.

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A brief guide to model selection, multimodel inference and model averaging in behavioural ecology using Akaike’s information criterion

Abstract: O que, como e porque escolher [What, how and why to choose]. Univerciência, 2 (3/4), 33-38.

Cited by 1,982 publications

References 33 publications

Spawning and non-breeding activity of adult giant bullfrogs (Pyxicephalus adspersus)

Spawning and non-breeding activity of adult giant bullfrogs (Pyxicephalus adspersus)

Plant traits explain the success of vacuum harvesting as a method of seed collection for the restoration of species-rich grasslands

Diet composition and feeding habits of the eyespot skate, Atlantoraja cyclophora (Elasmobranchii: Arhynchobatidae), off Uruguay and northern Argentina

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