Title
A geographic information system method for estimating home range size
Author(s)
Ostro L.E.T., Young T.P., Silver S.C., Koontz F.W.
Published
1999
Publisher
Journal of Wildlife Management
Abstract
We developed a new technique to quantify home ranges by using coordinate-based data that were collected at small time intervals and entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS). We used this technique (digitized polygons [DP]) and 4 other established methods to estimate home range sizes of groups of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra). We calculated the size of the area used by the study groups during the study period. The DP method used all available data points, excluded lacunae within home ranges, and accounted for spread of the group. The DP estimates of home range size were compared with 4 widely used methods: minimum convex polygon (MCP), grid-cell (GC), 95% harmonic mean (HM), and 95% adaptive kernel (AK). Sizes of home ranges ranged from 1 to 62 ha. Results of all procedures were strongly correlated (P < 0.001), although each gave very different estimates of home range sizes. The DP estimates were smaller than AK (P < 0.039) and MCP (P < 0.002) estimates and consistently (although not significantly) larger than GC methods (P = 0.99). There was no statistically significant or consistent difference between DP and HM estimates. Digitized polygons required the investigator to select path width and size of lacunae to exclude, but these decisions can be based upon biological information. This method may be the most appropriate technique to determine home range size with autocorrelated location data that can be converted to day-range paths.
Keywords
Alouatta pigra
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