a37d1fcb-c8ff-4c50-b51d-7cee6a329acb urn:uuid eng UTF-8 nonGeographicDataset nonGeographicDataset 2025-06-23T15:05:48 creation ISO 19115 2016 Optimising sample sizes for animal distribution analysis using tracking data a37d1fcb-c8ff-4c50-b51d-7cee6a329acb Knowledge of the spatial distribution of populations is fundamental to management plans for any species. When tracking data are used to describe distributions, it is sometimes assumed that the reported locations of individuals delineate the spatial extent of areas used by the target population. Here we examine existing approaches to validate this assumption, highlight caveats, and propose a new method for a more informative assessment of the number of tracked animals (i.e. sample size) necessary to identify distribution patterns. We show how this assessment can be achieved by considering the heterogeneous use of habitats by a target species using the probabilistic property of a utilisation distribution. Our methods are compiled in the r package SDLfilter. We illustrate and compare the protocols underlying existing and new methods using conceptual models and demonstrate an application of our approach using a large satellite tracking dataset of flatback turtles Natator depressus tagged with accurate Fastloc-GPS tags (n = 69). Our approach has applicability for the post hoc validation of sample sizes required for the robust estimation of distribution patterns across a wide range of taxa, populations and life-history stages of animals. {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[141.87744140625003, -24.86650252692691], [153.69873046875003, -24.86650252692691], [153.69873046875003, -10.206813072484595], [141.87744140625003, -10.206813072484595], [141.87744140625003, -24.86650252692691]]]} 141.87744140625003 153.69873046875003 -24.86650252692691 -10.206813072484595 Shimada, T., Thums, M., Hamann, M., Limpus, C. J., Hays, G. C., FitzSimmons, N. N., Wildermann, N. E., Duarte, C. M., & Meekan, M. G. (2021). Optimising sample sizes for animal distribution analysis using tracking data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 12(2), 288–297. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13506 documentDigital Shimada, T., Thums, M., Hamann, M., Limpus, C. J., Hays, G. C., FitzSimmons, N. N., Wildermann, N. E., Duarte, C. M., & Meekan, M. G. (2021). Optimising sample sizes for animal distribution analysis using tracking data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 12(2), 288–297. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13506 HTML Methods in Ecology and Evolution - Publication Data documentDigital Methods in Ecology and Evolution - Publication Data HTML Shimada, Takahiro et al. (2020), Data from: Optimising sample sizes for animal distribution analysis using tracking data, Dryad, Dataset, https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x69p8czgh documentDigital Shimada, Takahiro et al. (2020), Data from: Optimising sample sizes for animal distribution analysis using tracking data, Dryad, Dataset, https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x69p8czgh HTML AIMS Web Site documentDigital audio/basic AIMS Web Site documentDigital audio/basic AIMS Web Site documentDigital audio/basic AIMS Web Site documentDigital audio/basic Unnamed resource documentDigital License Graphic PNG Unnamed resource documentDigital HTML