Resource selection function
 | This article, Resource selection function, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
Resource selection functions (RSFs) are a class of ecological model that are used to assess which habitat characteristics are important to a specific population or species of animal, by assessing the a probability of that animal using a certain resource proportional to the availability of that resource in the environment.[1]
Modeling Resource Selection Functions
Resource Selection Functions require two types of data: location information for the wildlife in question, and data on the resources available across the study area. Resources can include a broad range of environmental and geographical variables, including categorical variables such as land cover type, or continuous variables such as average rainfall over a given time period. [something about choosing biologically meaningful covariates]. Wide-ranging species are using
Scale in Resource Selection Functions
Resource selection functions can be modeled at a variety of spatial scales, depending on the species and the scientific question being studied. Most RSFs address one of the following scales, which were defined by Douglas Johnson in 1980 are are still used today:[2]
- First order selection: The entire range of a species
- Second order selection: The home range of an individual or group of animals
- Third order selection: Resource or habitat usage within an individual's or group's home range
- Forth order selection: The procurement of specific resources, such as food, at specific sites