Predicting patch occupancy in fragmented landscapes at the rangewide scale for an endangered species: an example of an American warbler

Authors: B. A. Collier, J. E. Groce, M. L. Morrison, J. C. Newnam, A. J. Campomizzi, S. L. Farrell, H. A. Mathewson, R. T. Snelgrove, R. J. Carroll, R. N. Wilkins

Our objective was to identify the distribution of the endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) in fragmented oak–juniper woodlands by applying a geoadditive semiparametric occupancy model to better assist decisionmakers in identifying suitable habitat across the species breeding range on which conservation or mitigation activities can be focused and thus prioritize
management and conservation planning.

We used repeated double-observer detection/non-detection surveys of randomly selected (n = 287) patches of potential habitat to evaluate warbler patch-scale presence across the species breeding range. We used a geoadditive semiparametric occupancy model with remotely sensed habitat metrics (patch size and landscape composition) to predict patch-scale occupancy of golden-cheeked warblers in the fragmented oak–juniper woodlands of central Texas, USA.

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