A Novel Method for Nonparametric Statistical Inference for Niche Overlap in Multiple Species.

Autor: Langthaler PB; Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Interfaces, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.; IDALab Salzburg, Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Interfaces, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria., Gladow KP; Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany., Krüger O; Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany., Beck J; Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Interfaces, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.; IDALab Salzburg, Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Interfaces, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Biometrical journal. Biometrische Zeitschrift [Biom J] 2024 Oct; Vol. 66 (7), pp. e202400013.
DOI: 10.1002/bimj.202400013
Abstrakt: The understanding of species interactions and ecosystem dynamics hinges upon the study of ecological niches. Quantifying the overlap of Hutchinsonian-niches has garnered significant attention, with many recent publications addressing the issue. Prior work on estimating niche overlap often did not provide confidence intervals or assumed multivariate normality, seriously limiting applications in ecology, and biodiversity research. This paper extends a nonparametric approach, previously applied to the two-species case, to multiple species. For estimation, a consistent plug-in estimator based on rank sums is proposed and its asymptotic distribution is derived under weak conditions. The novel methodology is then applied to a study comparing the ecological niches of the Eurasian eagle owl, common buzzard, and red kite. These species share a habitat in Central Europe but exhibit distinct population trends. The analysis explores their breeding habitat preferences, considering the intricate competition dynamics and utilizing the nonparametric approach to niche overlap estimation. Our proposed method provides a valuable inferential tool for the quantitative evaluation of differences and overlap between niches.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Biometrical Journal published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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