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Figure 3 | Movement Ecology

Figure 3

From: Applications of step-selection functions in ecology and conservation

Figure 3

Habitat measurements along habitat edges in SSFs. Hypothetical relocations of a wild boar foraging along the edge of a crop field (sensu[48]) – steps and 3 pair-matched random steps have been reported in the figure. If habitat is measured only as field or forest, then forest habitat will most likely be avoided by wild boar in an SSF analysis. However, for safety reasons (i.e., lower probability of being detected by hunters) the wild boar is foraging close to the forest edge rather than in the middle of a crop field. The mistake by the researcher might be neglecting the perception of the habitat by the animal, assuming that all areas of the crop field are of equal quality for the wild boar. Adding ”distance to forest edge” as an attribute of the quality of crop fields is one way to catch the selection by wild boar of areas of the crop field located along the forest edge.

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