Habitat use and behaviour of multiple species of marine turtles using point processes
Supervisor: Dr Jafet Belmont Osuna and Dr Daniela Castro-Camilo
School: Mathematics & Statistics
Description:
We extend a cordial invitation to students who are eager to immerse themselves in a world of cutting-edge research and practical experience to participate in an EPSRC Vacation Scholarship aimed at addressing crucial aspects of sea turtle conservation and management.
Understanding the home range of sea turtles is crucial for their conservation and management. While traditional methods like Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) have been commonly used to analyse spatial utilization patterns, they often lack predictive power. In contrast, point processes offer a more nuanced understanding of the spatial dynamics of sea turtles, as demonstrated by previous studies utilising spatio-teporal point processes to estimate resource selection (Jhonson et al. (2013)). This project seeks to compare the effectiveness and precision of point processes in studying sea turtle home ranges, with the goal of identifying the most suitable method for future research and conservation efforts. Using spatial data from satellite-tagged sea turtles in the Red Sea provided by Dr. Natalie Wildermann (KAUST), this study will assess the accuracy, computational efficiency, and conservation relevance of both KDE and point processes, providing a comprehensive comparison of their advantages and limitations. Through a rigorous comparison of these methodologies, the study seeks to advance our understanding of sea turtle habitat utilization and contribute to the development of more effective conservation measures.
The project will be guided by Dr. Daniela Castro-Camilo (Senior Lecturer in Statistics) and Dr. Jafet Belmont (Lecturer in Statistics and Data Analysis) from the University of Glasgow. The successful applicant will delve into advanced techniques, including the integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA) and its associated R packages. Additionally, Dr. Wildermann will provide her support and experience in KDE techniques and model interpretation.
