# Ecology of Gamebirds in Namha National Protected Area, Lao People's Democratic Republic
## 3 Results
### Environmental Associations with Occupancy  
In preliminary models with 12-14 covariates, we found that the covariate factors camera model and wide-angle setting and the continuous covariates aspect and vegetation (ndvi) showed no significant association with individual detectability (Table S3). We found no significant differences in estimated availability (\(\lambda\)) from the first and second trapping sessions and no significant effect of season or percentage of forest cover on occupancy of any species in this sample of camera stations (Table S3). Examining a model with only the six most influential covariates (distance to nearest village, distance to nearest tourism trail, altitude as a quadratic, terrain roughness, ndvi and aspect as a complex variable), both Silver Pheasant (SP) and Gray Peacock Pheasant (GPP) showed significantly higher estimated lambda at camera stations in rougher terrain. (Table 3, Tables S4 and S5; for SP, median estimated coefficient of association \(\widehat{\beta_{ij}}\) = 0.538, mean 0.536 [95% HPDI 0.089-0.975], Bppp [Bayesian posterior predicted \(p\) of absolute value \(>\) 0] = 0.010; for GPP, median 1.576, mean 1.691 [0.139-3.535], Bppp = 0.004, respectively). We found no significant effect of elevation on any species, although Gray Peacock Pheasant was significantly less associated with mid-elevations (Table 3, Tables S4 and S5, median \(-\)3.505, mean \(-\)3.980 [\(-\)9.183-0.184], Bppp = 0.008). Silver Pheasant availability tended to increase with increasing distance to the nearest village (median 0.473, mean 0.474 [\(-\)0.016-0.958] Bppp = 0.029). Red Junglefowl was significantly associated with sites far from trails used for nature tourism (median 1.726, mean 2.263 [\(-\)0.077 to 6.457] Bppp = 0.004). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Date** & **Trap \#** & **RtP** & **BbP** & **SbP** & **Rjf** & **SPh** & **GPP** & **Time Lag (min)** \\ \hline
8 March 2014 & NH22 & & X & M & & & 12 \\
8 April 2014 & NH22 & & X & & & M & 4 \\
19 April 2014 & NH22 & & & & F & F & 19 \\
20 May 2014 & NH22 & & & & M & M & 7 \\
27 May 2014 & NH22 & & & & F & M & 40 \\
24 September 2014 & NH22b & & & & F & F & 60 \\
25 May 2018 & NR12 & Xx & & & MF & & 40 \\
10 November 2018 & NR30 & & & M & F & & 3 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} M = male, F = female, X = sex undetermined, x = sub-adult.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Temporally proximal associations among Rufous-throated Partridge (RtP), Bar-backed Partridge (BbP), Scaly-breasted Partridge (SbP), Red Junglefowl (RfJ), Silver Pheasant (SPh) and Gray Peacock Pheasant (GPP). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & & & & & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**95\% HPDI**} \\ \cline{4-9}
**Species** & **Covariate** & **Mean** & **SD** & **Median** & **lower** & **Upper** & **Bppp** \\ \hline RJf & altitude & \(-\)0.733 & 0.669 & \(-\)0.629 & \(-\)2.063 & 0.356 & 0.088 & \\ GPP & altitude.squared & \(-\)3.980 & 2.685 & \(-\)3.505 & \(-\)9.183 & 0.184 & 0.008 & * \\ SPh & log.roughness & 0.536 & 0.227 & 0.538 & 0.089 & 0.975 & 0.010 & * \\ GPP & log.roughness & 1.691 & 0.904 & 1.576 & 0.139 & 3.535 & 0.004 & * \\ RJf & log distance to tourism & 2.263 & 1.810 & 1.726 & \(-\)0.077 & 6.457 & 0.004 & * \\ SPh & log distance to tourism & 0.365 & 0.287 & 0.356 & \(-\)0.204 & 0.923 & 0.097 & \\ GPP & log distance to tourism & 0.798 & 0.665 & 0.725 & \(-\)0.425 & 2.173 & 0.090 & \\ SPh & distance to village & 0.474 & 0.249 & 0.473 & \(-\)0.016 & 0.958 & 0.029 & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Posterior predicted coefficients of association with environmental covariates for Red Junglefowl (RfJ), Silver Pheasant (SPh) and Gray Peacock Pheasant (GPP). Selected means of species-specific coefficients of association (\(\hat{\beta_{ij}}\)), SD, 95% Highest Probability Density Interval (HPDI) and Bayesian posterior predicted probability (Bppp) of greater or less than 0.0 from a Royle Nichols hierarchical model of availability and detectability.