Modeling group-living animals in oSCR / SCR frameworks

[Carlotta Gelsomini]

Hi all,

We are planning to use oSCR to estimate density for our species, which has two male tactics that differ in home-range size and capture probabilities. Within each tactic, individuals sometimes form small groups that move almost exclusively together, making captures within a group clearly non-independent.

One approach we have considered is to treat each group as a single unit in the SCR model, estimate unit density, and then multiply the estimated density by the average number of individuals per unit to obtain individual-level density. Most groups are very small (usually 2 individuals, occasionally 3), so any bias from variable group sizes is likely limited.

Has anyone used oSCR (or similar SCR software) with group-living animals in a similar way? We would greatly appreciate any experiences or suggestions for alternative approaches to handle this kind of structure and data.

Best regards,
Carlotta