Andy Royle, Ph.D.
Andy Royle is a Research Statistician at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD.
Andy Royle is a Senior Scientist at USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center (Patuxent). At EESC, he is engaged in the development of statistical methods and analytic tools for animal demographic modeling, statistical inference and sampling wildlife populations and communities. His current research is focused on hierarchical models of animal abundance and occurrence, and the development of spatial capture-recapture methods and applications. He has authored or coauthored 6 books on quantitative analysis in ecology including the recent book Applied Hierarchical Models Vols. 1 and 2 (2016 and 2021, with Marc Kéry).
Professional Experience
Statistician (1998-2004) for the U.S. FWS in the Migratory Bird Management Office where he worked primarily on waterfowl surveys and monitoring projects
visiting scientist in the Geophysical Statistics Project at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO.
Education and Certifications
PhD in Statistics (1996) from North Carolina State University
BS in Fisheries and Wildlife (1990) from Michigan State University
Science and Products
Movement-assisted localization from acoustic telemetry data
Consequences of ignoring group association in spatial capture-recapture analysis
Acoustic space occupancy: Combining ecoacoustics and lidar to model biodiversity variation and detection bias across heterogeneous landscapes
Integrating side-scan sonar and acoustic telemetry to estimate the annual spawning run size of Atlantic sturgeon in the Hudson River
Estimating abundance from capture-recapture data
Occupancy Patterns of Breeding American Black Ducks
Modeling spatially and temporally complex range dynamics when detection is imperfect
Reserve design to optimize functional connectivity and animal density
Incorporating citizen science data in spatially explicit integrated population models
Genetic tagging in the Anthropocene: Scaling ecology from alleles to ecosystems
oSCR: A spatial capture–recapture R package for inference about spatial ecological processes
Integrated modeling reveals shifts in waterfowl population dynamics under climate change
Science and Products
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Movement-assisted localization from acoustic telemetry data
Acoustic telemetry technologies are being increasingly deployed to study a variety of aquatic taxa including fishes, reptiles, and marine mammals. Large cooperative telemetry networks produce vast quantities of data useful in the study of movement, resource selection and species distribution. Efficient use of acoustic telemetry data requires estimation of acoustic source locations from detectionsAuthorsNathan J. Hostetter, Andy RoyleConsequences of ignoring group association in spatial capture-recapture analysis
Many models in population ecology, including spatial capture–recapture (SCR) models, assume that individuals are distributed and detected independently of one another. In reality, this is rarely the case – both antagonistic and gregarious relationships lead to non-independent spatial configurations, with territorial exclusion at one end of the spectrum and group-living at the other. Previous simulAuthorsRichard Bischof, Pierre Dupont, Cyril Milleret, Joseph Chipperfield, J. Andrew RoyleAcoustic space occupancy: Combining ecoacoustics and lidar to model biodiversity variation and detection bias across heterogeneous landscapes
There is global interest in quantifying changing biodiversity in human-modified landscapes. Ecoacoustics may offer a promising pathway for supporting multi-taxa monitoring, but its scalability has been hampered by the sonic complexity of biodiverse ecosystems and the imperfect detectability of animal-generated sounds. The acoustic signature of a habitat, or soundscape, contains information about mAuthorsDanielle I. Rappaport, J. Andrew Royle, Douglas C. MortonIntegrating side-scan sonar and acoustic telemetry to estimate the annual spawning run size of Atlantic sturgeon in the Hudson River
There is considerable interest in evaluating the status and trends of sturgeon populations, yet many traditional approaches to estimating the abundance of fishes are intractable due to their biology and rarity. Side-scan sonar has recently emerged as an effective tool for censusing sturgeon in rivers, yet challenges remain for censusing open populations that may visit specific habitats over periodAuthorsDavid C. Kazyak, Amy M Flowers, Nathan J. Hostetter, John A Madsen, Matthew W. Breece, Amanda Higgs, Lori M. Brown, Andy Royle, Dewayne A. FoxEstimating abundance from capture-recapture data
No abstract available.AuthorsSarah J. Converse, J. Andrew RoyleOccupancy Patterns of Breeding American Black Ducks
Occupancy patterns can assist with the determination of habitat limitation during breeding or wintering periods and can help guide population and habitat management efforts. American black ducks (Anas rubripes; black ducks) are thought to be limited by habitat and food availability during the winter, but breeding sites may also limit the size or growth potential of the population. The Canadian WilAuthorsAnthony J. Roberts, J. Andrew Royle, Paul I. Padding, Patrick K. Devers, Christine Lepage, Daniel BordageModeling spatially and temporally complex range dynamics when detection is imperfect
Species distributions are determined by the interaction of multiple biotic and abiotic factors, which produces complex spatial and temporal patterns of occurrence. As habitats and climate change due to anthropogenic activities, there is a need to develop species distribution models that can quantify these complex range dynamics. In this paper, we develop a dynamic occupancy model that uses a spatiAuthorsClark S. Rushing, J. Andrew Royle, David Ziolkowski, Keith L. PardieckReserve design to optimize functional connectivity and animal density
Ecological distance-based spatial capture–recapture models (SCR) are a promising approach for simultaneously estimating animal density and connectivity, both of which affect spatial population processes and ultimately species persistence. We explored how SCR models can be integrated into reserve-design frameworks that explicitly acknowledge both the spatial distribution of individuals and their spAuthorsAmrita Gupta, Bistra Dilkina, Dana Morin, Angela K. Fuller, Andy Royle, Chris Sutherland, Carla GomesIncorporating citizen science data in spatially explicit integrated population models
Information about population abundance, distribution, and demographic rates is critical for understanding a species’ ecology and for effective conservation and management. To collect data over large spatial and temporal extents for such inferences, especially for species with low densities or wide distributions, citizen science can be an efficient approach. Integrated models have also emerged as aAuthorsCatherine C. Sun, Andy Royle, Angela K. FullerGenetic tagging in the Anthropocene: Scaling ecology from alleles to ecosystems
The Anthropocene is an era of marked human impact on the world. Quantifying these impacts 51 has become central to understanding the dynamics of coupled human-natural systems, resource52 dependent livelihoods, and biodiversity conservation. Ecologists are facing growing pressure to 53 quantify the size, distribution, and trajectory of wild populations in a cost-effective and socially54 acceptableAuthorsClayton T. Lamb, Adam T Ford, Michael Proctor, Andy Royle, Garth MowatoSCR: A spatial capture–recapture R package for inference about spatial ecological processes
Spatial capture–recapture (SCR) methods have become widely applied in ecology. The immediate adoption of SCR is due to the fact that it resolves some major criticisms of traditional capture–recapture methods related to heterogeneity in detectabililty, and the emergence of new technologies (e.g. camera traps, non‐invasive genetics) that have vastly improved our ability to collection spatially expliAuthorsChris Sutherland, J. Andrew Royle, Dan LindenIntegrated modeling reveals shifts in waterfowl population dynamics under climate change
1. Climate change has been identified as one of the most important drivers of wildlife populations. The development of appropriate conservation strategies relies on reliable predictions of population responses to climate change, which require in-depth understanding of the complex relationships between climate and population dynamics through density dependent demographic processes. Integrated populAuthorsQing Zhao, Scott Boomer, Andy Royle - Software
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