Transformed crane data from: Balancing structural complexity with ecological insight in spatio-temporal species distribution models

The potential for statistical complexity in species distribution models (SDMs) has greatly increased with advances in computational power. Structurally complex models provide the flexibility to analyse intricate ecological systems and realistically messy data, but can be difficult to interpret, reducing their practical impact. Founding model complexity in ecological theory can improve insight gained from SDMs. 
Here, we evaluate a marked point process approach, which uses multiple Gaussian random fields to represent population dynamics of the Eurasian crane (Grus grus) in a spatio-temporal species distribution model. We discuss the role of model components and their impacts on predictions, in comparison with a simpler binomial presence/absence approach. Inference is carried out using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) with inlabru, an accessible and computationally efficient approach for Bayesian hierarchical modelling, which is not yet widely used in SDMs. 
Using the marked...