Habitat scale model output of Port Fourchon, LA dervied from drone and satellite imagery taken in fall and spring 2023.

This dataset and code form part of a broader analysis aimed at evaluating the relationship between habitat structure and species abundance across multiple spatial scales in a rapidly changing estuarine environment near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Specifically, the code implements a Generalized Additive Modeling (GAM) approach to identify the optimal spatial scale at which habitat features—derived from satellite imagery—best explain the abundance of common estuarine species observed during the Fall 2022 drop sampling season.

The data processing pipeline begins by merging species count data and environmental variables (salinity, temperature, site coordinates) with spatial habitat metrics, including percent edge habitat, mangrove edge length, and land-water ratio. These metrics are calculated at varying spatial scales, defined by buffer radii (20–600 m) and edge distances (1, 3, 5 m). The GAMs iteratively test combinations of predictors while excluding highly correlated variables to reduce multicollinearity. Models are ranked by Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), and the best models are selected based on performance across scales.

The outputs include:

AIC scores for all tested models across scales.
Identification of the top model explaining white shrimp abundance.
Evaluation of individual predictor significance and spatial autocorrelation in residuals.

The results indicate that the relationship between habitat structure and estuarine species  is oftne scale-dependent, with percent edge habitat and mangrove edge length emerging as significant predictors at specific scales. Outputs are saved in CSV files for model summaries and GAM diagnostics, while visualizations illustrate R² values across spatial scales, predictor significance, and observed vs. predicted species abundance.

This pipeline provides a quantitative framework for identifying ecologically relevant spatial scales and assessing the effects of habitat change, such as mangrove encroachment, on species distributions. The findings contribute to a broader effort to model species-habitat relationships in coastal systems and inform management strategies in the face of climate-driven habitat change.