Brillinger, Kie, Preisler and Stewart 9704739 This interdisciplinary research is aimed toward developing multidimensional models of motion based on recorded trajectories of marine mammals and terrestrial animals among other moving entities. One central objective is the development of flexible models that can accommodate the movements of a variety of faunal taxa, their intra- and inter-specific interactions, and their interactions with the environment. Characterizing the trajectories of animals traveling great distances through the oceans for example requires models for diffusion processes on the sphere. Stochastic differential equations will have to be adapted to this situation and in particular to include covariates, nonparametric coefficients and non- Gaussian processes. Basic inferential aspects of diffusion processes, many of which are as yet unstudied particularly with respect to animal movement, will also be explored in this study. Two primary data sets will be analyzed. One consists of geographic locations (determined daily) and dive depth (determined every 30s to 60s) of northern elephant seals during their migrations of 3 to 8 months in the north Pacific. The second data set consists of hourly locations of Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer, together with geographic information on habitat types. Since animal movements are determined by biological and physical features of the environment and this may be anticipated to vary with the climate, this research relates to the Strategic Area of environment and global change within the general framework of the National Science Foundation. The movement models to be developed will allow formal assessment of temporal and spatial aspects of change and of wildlife responses to them.
