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The importance of sample size in marine megafauna tagging studies
journal contribution
posted on 2019-09-01, 00:00 authored by A M M Sequeira, M R Heupel, M-A Lea, V M Eguiluz, C M Duarte, M G Meekan, M Thums, H J Calich, R H Carmichael, D P Costa, L C Ferreira, J Fernandez-Gracia, R Harcourt, A-L Harrison, I Jonsen, C R McMahon, D W Sims, R P Wilson, Graeme HaysGraeme HaysTelemetry is a key, widely used tool to understand marine megafauna distribution, habitat use, behavior, and physiology; however, a critical question remains: “How many animals should be tracked to acquire meaningful data sets?” This question has wide‐ranging implications including considerations of statistical power, animal ethics, logistics, and cost. While power analyses can inform sample sizes needed for statistical significance, they require some initial data inputs that are often unavailable. To inform the planning of telemetry and biologging studies of marine megafauna where few or no data are available or where resources are limited, we reviewed the types of information that have been obtained in previously published studies using different sample sizes. We considered sample sizes from one to >100 individuals and synthesized empirical findings, detailing the information that can be gathered with increasing sample sizes. We complement this review with simulations, using real data, to show the impact of sample size when trying to address various research questions in movement ecology of marine megafauna. We also highlight the value of collaborative, synthetic studies to enhance sample sizes and broaden the range, scale, and scope of questions that can be answered.
History
Journal
Ecological applicationsVolume
29Issue
6Article number
e01947Pagination
1344 - 1360Publisher
John Wiley & SonsLocation
Chichester, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1051-0761eISSN
1939-5582Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2019, the Ecological Society of AmericaUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
Science & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineEcologyEnvironmental SciencesEnvironmental Sciences & Ecologyanimal welfarekey questionsmovement behaviornumber of tagstelemetry studiestracking dataDIEL VERTICAL MIGRATIONSATELLITE TRACKINGSEASONAL MOVEMENTSFORAGING BEHAVIORBASKING SHARKS1ST RECORDSSEAPREDATORSTRATEGIESPATTERNS
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