scholarly journals A model to illustrate the potential pairing of animal biotelemetry with individual-based modeling

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian G. Brosnan ◽  
David W. Welch

Abstract Background Animal biotelemetry and individual-based modeling (IBM) are natural complements, but there are few published examples where they are applied together to address fundamental or applied ecological questions. Existing studies are often found in the modeling literature and frequently re-use small datasets collected for purposes other than the model application. Animal biotelemetry can provide the robust measurements that capture relevant ecological patterns needed to parameterize, calibrate, and assess hypotheses in IBMs; together they could help meet demand for predictive modeling and decision-support in the face of environmental change. Results We used an simple exemplar IBM that uses spatio-temporal movement patterns of 103 acoustic-tagged juvenile yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), termed ‘smolts’, to quantitatively assess plausibility of two migratory strategies that smolts are hypothesized to use while migrating north through the plume of the Columbia River (United States of America). We find that model smolts that seek to maximize growth demonstrate movement patterns consistent with those of tagged smolts. Model smolts that seek to move quickly out of the plume region by seeking favorable currents do not reproduce the same patterns. Conclusions Animal biotelemetry and individual-based modeling are maturing fields of inquiry. Our hope is that this model description and the basic analytical techniques will effectively illustrate individual-based models for the biotelemetry community, and perhaps inspire new collaborations between biotelemetry researchers and individual-based modelers.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian G Brosnan ◽  
David W Welch

Abstract Background. Animal biotelemetry and individual-based modeling (IBM) are natural complements, but there are few published examples where they are applied together to address fundamental or applied ecological questions. Existing studies are often found in the modeling literature and frequently re-use small datasets collected for purposes other than the model application. Animal biotelemetry can provide the robust measurements that capture relevant ecological patterns needed to parameterize, calibrate, and assess hypotheses in IBMs; together they could help meet demand for predictive modeling and decision-support in the face of environmental change. Results. We used an simple exemplar IBM that uses spatio-temporal movement patterns of 103 acoustic-tagged juvenile yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), termed ‘smolts’, to quantitatively assess plausibility of two migratory strategies that smolts are hypothesized to use while migrating north through the plume of the Columbia River (United States of America). We find that model smolts that seek to maximize growth demonstrate movement patterns consistent with those of tagged smolts. Model smolts that seek to move quickly out of the plume region by seeking favorable currents do not reproduce the same patterns. Conclusions. Animal biotelemetry and individual-based modeling are maturing fields of inquiry. Our hope is that this model description and the basic analytical techniques will effectively illustrate individual-based models for the biotelemetry community, and perhaps inspire new collaborations between biotelemetry researchers and individual-based modelers.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian G Brosnan ◽  
David W Welch

Abstract Background. Animal biotelemetry and individual-based modeling (IBM) are natural complements, but there are very few published examples where they are applied together to address fundamental or applied ecological questions. Existing studies are often found in the modeling literature and draw opportunistically on small datasets collected for purposes other than the model application. Animal biotelemetry can provide the robust measurements that capture relevant ecological patterns needed to parameterize, calibrate, and assess hypotheses in IBMs; together they could help meet demand for predictive modeling and decision-support in the face of environmental change. Results. Using an exemplar, simple IBM that uses spatio-temporal movement patterns of 103 acoustic-tagged juvenile yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) to quantitatively assess two migratory strategies smolts are hypothesized to use while migrating north through the plume of the Columbia River (United States of America), we find that animal biotelemetry can provide the robust measurements that capture relevant ecological patterns needed to parameterize, calibrate, and assess hypotheses in IBMs; together they could help meet demand for predictive modeling and decision-support in the face of environmental change.Conclusions. Animal biotelemetry and individual-based modeling are now mature fields of inquiry. Our hope is that this model description and the basic analytical techniques will effectively illustrate individual-based models for the biotelemetry community, and perhaps inspire new collaborations between biotelemetry researchers and individual-based modelers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 467
Author(s):  
Mostafa Farrag ◽  
Gerald Corzo Perez ◽  
Dimitri Solomatine

Many grid-based spatial hydrological models suffer from the complexity of setting up a coherent spatial structure to calibrate such a complex, highly parameterized system. There are essential aspects of model-building to be taken into account: spatial resolution, the routing equation limitations, and calibration of spatial parameters, and their influence on modeling results, all are decisions that are often made without adequate analysis. In this research, an experimental analysis of grid discretization level, an analysis of processes integration, and the routing concepts are analyzed. The HBV-96 model is set up for each cell, and later on, cells are integrated into an interlinked modeling system (Hapi). The Jiboa River Basin in El Salvador is used as a case study. The first concept tested is the model structure temporal responses, which are highly linked to the runoff dynamics. By changing the runoff generation model description, we explore the responses to events. Two routing models are considered: Muskingum, which routes the runoff from each cell following the river network, and Maxbas, which routes the runoff directly to the outlet. The second concept is the spatial representation, where the model is built and tested for different spatial resolutions (500 m, 1 km, 2 km, and 4 km). The results show that the spatial sensitivity of the resolution is highly linked to the routing method, and it was found that routing sensitivity influenced the model performance more than the spatial discretization, and allowing for coarser discretization makes the model simpler and computationally faster. Slight performance improvement is gained by using different parameters’ values for each cell. It was found that the 2 km cell size corresponds to the least model error values. The proposed hydrological modeling codes have been published as open-source.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (99) ◽  
pp. 20140542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan F. Putman ◽  
Erica S. Jenkins ◽  
Catherine G. J. Michielsens ◽  
David L. G. Noakes

Animals navigate using a variety of sensory cues, but how each is weighted during different phases of movement (e.g. dispersal, foraging, homing) is controversial. Here, we examine the geomagnetic and olfactory imprinting hypotheses of natal homing with datasets that recorded variation in the migratory routes of sockeye ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) and pink ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) salmon returning from the Pacific Ocean to the Fraser River, British Columbia. Drift of the magnetic field (i.e. geomagnetic imprinting) uniquely accounted for 23.2% and 44.0% of the variation in migration routes for sockeye and pink salmon, respectively. Ocean circulation (i.e. olfactory imprinting) predicted 6.1% and 0.1% of the variation in sockeye and pink migration routes, respectively. Sea surface temperature (a variable influencing salmon distribution but not navigation, directly) accounted for 13.0% of the variation in sockeye migration but was unrelated to pink migration. These findings suggest that geomagnetic navigation plays an important role in long-distance homing in salmon and that consideration of navigation mechanisms can aid in the management of migratory fishes by better predicting movement patterns. Finally, given the diversity of animals that use the Earth's magnetic field for navigation, geomagnetic drift may provide a unifying explanation for spatio-temporal variation in the movement patterns of many species.


2008 ◽  
pp. 726-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Gudmundsson ◽  
Patrick Laube ◽  
Thomas Wolle

Author(s):  

<em>Abstract.</em>—Although many hydroelectric dams have fishways for upstream passage of migratory fish, passage delays often occur at these sites. Migrational delay may affect fish detrimentally in several ways, including depletion of energy reserves, suboptimal arrival timing at spawning sites, and prolonged exposure to hazardous conditions at the face of dams. We applied time-to-event analyses to passage times of radio-tagged adult Chinook salmon <em>Oncorhynchus tshawytscha </em>at four dams on the lower Columbia River, where many fish require several days to pass each dam. The analysis allowed us to determine instantaneous passage rates in response to fluctuating river conditions. By relating variability in passage rate to the predictor variables river temperature, river flow, and fish size, we determined the relative contribution of various factors to the passage time of migrating fish. We fit the model by maximizing the likelihood function that incorporated information from individuals rather than aggregated groups of fish. We used Akaike’s Information Criterion to distinguish among several competing models, each of which used a different predictor variable. We found that daytime passage rates were significantly greater than nighttime passage rates. Also, the influence of river flow, river temperature, and fish length on passage rates varied at the four dams. However, when a factor had a significant influence on passage time, the direction of the relationship was consistent across dams: river flow and fish length were positively related to passage time (greater values led to longer passage time), and river temperature was negatively related. This method is easily adaptable to study passage time of any fish population facing a broad range of obstacles to migration, whether natural or man-made.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yamuna Sangarasivam

AbstractFollowing the release of thousands of diplomatic cables which revealed the human rights abuses and networks of corruption that sustain the US-sponsored global war on terror, the US Justice Department has invoked the 1917 Espionage Act to indict both Bradley Manning, the US soldier who released the classified documents to WikiLeaks, and Julian Assange, the editor and publisher of WikiLeaks. While censorship serves as an economic signal, as Assange asserts, how does the torture and prosecution of Pvt. Bradley Manning serve as a cultural signal which reveals the ­lessons of a patriotism that promotes a dystopic democracy? This article examines the spatio-temporal predicament of secrecy, surveillance, and censorship in the face of cyber rebellion.


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