AbmR: An R package for agent‐based model analysis of large‐scale movements across taxa. Issue 1 (31st October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gochanour, Benjamin; Fernández‐López, Javier; Contina, Andrea
• Is Part Of: Methods in ecology and evolution. Volume 14:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 218
• Page End: 230
• Publication Date: 2022-10-31
• Subjects: animal migration -- ecology -- open‐source -- R programming -- simulations; Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577
• DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.14014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2041-210X

Abstract

Abstract: Agent‐based modelling (ABM) shows promise for animal movement studies. However, a robust, open‐source and spatially explicit ABM coding platform is currently lacking. We present abmR, an R package for conducting continental‐scale ABM simulations across animal taxa. The package features two movement functions, each of which relies on the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) process. The theoretical background for abmR is discussed and the main functionalities are illustrated using example populations. Potential future additions to this open‐source package may include the ability to specify multiple environmental variables or to model interactions between agents. Additionally, updates may offer opportunities for disease ecology and integration with other R movement modelling packages.