Dr. Frances Buderman
Pennsylvania State University
Date: October 30th, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Science Building 1111
Integrated movement models for individual tracking and species distribution data
While the quantity, quality, and variety of movement data has increased, methods that allow for jointly estimating population- and species-level movement parameters are still needed. We present a formal integrated movement model (IMM) approach to combine individual-level movement and population-level distribution data. We outline a general IMM framework and develop and apply a specific stochastic differential equation model to a case study of telemetry and species distribution data for golden eagles in western North American during spring migration. Individual heterogeneity in migration behavior was modeled for two sub-populations, individuals that make significant northward migrations and those that remained in the southern Rocky Mountain region through the summer. Given the different behaviors, we also assessed sub-population specific exposure to wind farms, which are a potential source of mortality. The IMM was able to provide a more biological accurate subpopulation structure and allowed us to estimate the proportion of migratory and non-migratory birds in a given location and time and estimate future spatio-temporal distributions of birds given a wintering location, which provide estimates of seasonal connectivity, migratory routes, and exposure to risk. Our approach allows us to significantly improve our knowledge of migration ecology across taxonomic groups, and address population and continental level information needs for conservation and management.