| Understanding the spatial distribution of species is a fundamental issue in ecology, yet quantitative descriptions of animal species’ distributions are rare. In this chapter, we use a spatialstatistics approach to describe the spatial distribution of herds of large herbivores in Laikipia, central Kenya. We used Global Positioning System technology and spatial point pattern analysis (F-, G- and J-functions) to characterise herd distributions of the 9 most abundant species comprising large herbivore communities in African savannas. F-function analysis is based on estimating the probability of a herd occurring within radius r of randomly selected focal points. G-function analysis is similar, but based on randomly selected focal herds. The J-function is... |
