How does spatial study design influence density estimates from spatial capture-recapture models?

Sollmann, Gardner, and Belant used simulation to investigate how the configuration of camera arrays affects the accuracy and precision of spatially explicit capture-recapture density estimates. They varied detector spacing, array extent, and number of detectors relative to the spatial scale of animal movement, identifying designs that minimize bias and maximize precision. A central lesson is that spacing must be tuned to sigma so that individuals are detected at multiple stations, providing the spatial recaptures SECR needs, and arrays must be large enough to encompass several home ranges. The study offered concrete, generalizable design guidance for camera-trap surveys of wide-ranging carnivores and is a standard reference cited when justifying station layout in felid density studies.