A major challenge in statistical ecology consists of integrating knowledge from different data sets to produce robust ecological indicators. To estimate species distribution, occupancy models are a flexible framework that can accommodate several data sets obtained from different sampling methods. However, repeating visits at sampling sites is a prerequisite for using standard occupancy models. Occupancy models were recently developed to analyze detection/non-detection data collected during a single visit. To date, single-visit occupancy models have never been used to integrate several different data sets. Here, we showcase an approach that combines two data sets into an integrated single-visit occupancy model. As a case study, we estimated the distribution of common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) over the northwestern Mediterranean Sea by combining 24,624 km of aerial surveys and 21,464 km of at-sea monitoring. We compared the outputs of single- vs. repeated-visit occupancy models into integrated occupancy models. Integrated models allowed a better sampling coverage of the targeted population, which provided a better precision for occupancy estimates than occupancy models using data sets in isolation. Overall, single- and repeated-visit integrated occupancy models produced similar inference about the distribution of bottlenose dolphins. We suggest that single-visit occupancy models open promising perspectives for the use of existing ecological data sets.

中文翻译：

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在综合占用模型中使用单次访问以充分利用现有的监控程序

统计生态学的一个主要挑战包括整合来自不同数据集的知识以产生强大的生态指标。为了估计物种分布，占用模型是一个灵活的框架，可以容纳从不同采样方法获得的多个数据集。然而，重复访问采样点是使用标准占用模型的先决条件。最近开发了占用模型来分析在单次访问期间收集的检测/非检测数据。迄今为止，单次访问占用模型从未用于集成多个不同的数据集。在这里，我们展示了一种将两个数据集组合成一个集成的单次访问占用模型的方法。作为案例研究，我们估计了普通宽吻海豚（Tursiops truncatus) 结合 24,624 公里的航测和 21,464 公里的海上监测，在地中海西北部上空。我们将单次和重复访问占用模型的输出与集成占用模型进行了比较。集成模型允许对目标人群进行更好的抽样覆盖，与单独使用数据集的占用模型相比，这为占用估计提供了更好的精度。总体而言，单次和重复访问的综合占用模型对宽吻海豚的分布产生了类似的推断。我们建议单次访问占用模型为使用现有生态数据集开辟了有前景的前景。