NatureScot Research Report 1297 - Developing tools for monitoring lichens & other sessile organisms.
Abstract
This report discusses the use of occupancy modeling to improve the accuracy of species population estimates, focusing on lichens as a case study. It highlights the challenges in obtaining reliable estimates due to variability in surveyor detection skills, both within and between years. The report explains how occupancy models, which involve repeat surveys of the same locations, can account for these detection variations and provide more accurate estimates of species presence. It also addresses the specific challenges of detection heterogeneity and surveyor memory, which can lead to underestimation of species numbers. The research shows how these issues can be corrected using statistical techniques, making occupancy models a valuable tool for more accurate biodiversity monitoring, applicable to other sessile species like plants, fungi, and animals.