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  • Book
  • © 2015

Distance Sampling: Methods and Applications

  • Serves as guide for practitioners to answer the applied ecology question: what is the abundance of a given animal population
  • Includes theory for designed experiments in distance sampling
  • Has examples using R in addition to the Distance software
  • Couples case studies with accessible datasets and software to allow readers to apply methods in a variety of contexts
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Methods in Statistical Ecology (MISE)

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
  2. Introduction, Survey Design and Field Methods

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. The Basic Methods

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 3-13
    3. Designing Surveys

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 15-28
    4. Designing Distance Sampling Experiments

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 29-34
    5. Field Methods and Data Issues

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 35-49
  3. Design-Based and Model-Based Methods for Distance Sampling

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 51-51
    2. Modelling Detection Functions

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 53-103
    3. Design-Based Estimation of Animal Density and Abundance

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 105-126
    4. Model-Based Distance Sampling: Two-Stage Models

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 127-140
    5. Model-Based Distance Sampling: Full Likelihood Methods

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 141-163
  4. Distance Sampling Variations, Special Issues and Assumptions

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 165-165
    2. Variations on a Theme

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 167-199
    3. Taxon-Specific Issues

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 201-229
    4. Exchanging Assumptions for Data

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 231-252
    5. Summary

      • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
      Pages 253-261
  5. Erratum: Distance Sampling: Methods and Applications

    • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
    Pages E1-E1
  6. Erratum to: Distance Sampling: Methods and Applications

    • S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven
    Pages E3-E4
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 263-277

About this book

In this book, the authors cover the basic methods and advances within distance sampling that are most valuable to practitioners and in ecology more broadly. This is the fourth book dedicated to distance sampling. In the decade since the last book published, there have been a number of new developments. The intervening years have also shown which advances are of most use. This self-contained book covers topics from the previous publications, while also including recent developments in method, software and application.

Distance sampling refers to a suite of methods, including line and point transect sampling, in which animal density or abundance is estimated from a sample of distances to detected individuals. The book illustrates these methods through case studies; data sets and computer code are supplied to readers through the book’s accompanying website. Some of the case studies use the software Distance, while others use R code. The book is in three parts. The first part addresses basic methods, the design of surveys, distance sampling experiments, field methods and data issues. The second part develops a range of modelling approaches for distance sampling data. The third part describes variations in the basic method; discusses special issues that arise when sampling different taxa (songbirds, seabirds, cetaceans, primates, ungulates, butterflies, and plants); considers advances to deal with failures of the key assumptions; and provides a check-list for those conducting surveys.

Reviews

“This new volume by Dr. Buckland and his colleagues at the University of St. Andrews serves as both an introduction to distance sampling for people new to the field as well as a summary of recent developments. … I recommend the book as an excellent entry into this fascinating area of estimation and research. The R code alone is worth the purchase price.” (Mark Miller, BTO British Trust for Ornithology, bto.org, January, 2016)

Authors and Affiliations

  • CREEM The Observatory, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK

    S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, T. A. Marques, C. S. Oedekoven

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access