Fabien Leprieur

ALT Cover page of the paper entitled "Spatial Occupancy Models for Data Collected on Stream Networks" published in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. The abstract is: 1. To effectively monitor biodiversity in streams and rivers, we need to quantify species distribution accurately. 2. Occupancy models are useful for distinguishing between the non-detection of a species and its actual absence. While these models can account for spatial autocorrelation, they are not suited for streams and rivers due to their unique network spatial structure. 3. Here, I propose spatial occupancy models specifically designed for data collected on stream and river networks. I present the statistical developments and illustrate their application using data on a semi-aquatic mammal. 4. Overall, spatial stream network occupancy models offer a robust method for assessing biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems.

ALT A figure showing the importance to account for stream distance and flow connectivity when analysing data on stream networks. Four sites are represented on a river, two sites are flow connected and two are flow unconnected.