A ‘How to’ guide for interpreting parameters in habitat‐selection analyses. Fieberg, J., Signer, J., Smith, B., & Avgar, T. Journal of Animal Ecology, 90(5):1027–1043, May, 2021. ![A ‘How to’ guide for interpreting parameters in habitat‐selection analyses [link]](https://bibbase.org/img/filetypes/link.svg "link")
Paper doi abstract bibtex Abstract Habitat‐selection analyses allow researchers to link animals to their environment via habitat‐selection or step‐selection functions, and are commonly used to address questions related to wildlife management and conservation efforts. Habitat‐selection analyses that incorporate movement characteristics, referred to as integrated step‐selection analyses , are particularly appealing because they allow modelling of both movement and habitat‐selection processes. Despite their popularity, many users struggle with interpreting parameters in habitat‐selection and step‐selection functions. Integrated step‐selection analyses also require several additional steps to translate model parameters into a full‐fledged movement model, and the mathematics supporting this approach can be challenging for many to understand. Using simple examples, we demonstrate how weighted distribution theory and the inhomogeneous Poisson point process can facilitate parameter interpretation in habitat‐selection analyses. Furthermore, we provide a ‘how to’ guide illustrating the steps required to implement integrated step‐selection analyses using the amt package By providing clear examples with open‐source code, we hope to make habitat‐selection analyses more understandable and accessible to end users.
@article{fieberg_how_2021,
title = {A ‘{How} to’ guide for interpreting parameters in habitat‐selection analyses},
volume = {90},
issn = {0021-8790, 1365-2656},
url = {https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.13441},
doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.13441},
abstract = {Abstract
Habitat‐selection analyses allow researchers to link animals to their environment via habitat‐selection or step‐selection functions, and are commonly used to address questions related to wildlife management and conservation efforts. Habitat‐selection analyses that incorporate movement characteristics, referred to as
integrated step‐selection analyses
, are particularly appealing because they allow modelling of both movement and habitat‐selection processes.
Despite their popularity, many users struggle with interpreting parameters in habitat‐selection and step‐selection functions. Integrated step‐selection analyses also require several additional steps to translate model parameters into a full‐fledged movement model, and the mathematics supporting this approach can be challenging for many to understand.
Using simple examples, we demonstrate how weighted distribution theory and the inhomogeneous Poisson point process can facilitate parameter interpretation in habitat‐selection analyses. Furthermore, we provide a ‘how to’ guide illustrating the steps required to implement integrated step‐selection analyses using the
amt
package
By providing clear examples with open‐source code, we hope to make habitat‐selection analyses more understandable and accessible to end users.},
language = {en},
number = {5},
urldate = {2026-10-23},
journal = {Journal of Animal Ecology},
author = {Fieberg, John and Signer, Johannes and Smith, Brian and Avgar, Tal},
month = may,
year = {2021},
pages = {1027--1043},
}
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