Integrated step selection analysis: bridging the gap between resource selection and animal movement

Avgar and colleagues developed integrated step selection analysis, which simultaneously estimates habitat selection and the animal's underlying movement kernel, the distribution of step lengths and turning angles, within a single statistical framework. This integration corrects a bias in earlier step-selection methods, where the choice of available steps could distort selection estimates, and it yields movement parameters that vary with habitat. The result is a model that can both describe selection and simulate realistic movement, supporting predictions of space use and connectivity. For carnivore studies, integrated step selection offers a principled way to infer how cats trade off habitat quality, risk, and travel cost as they move. The method has become a workhorse for mechanistic movement modeling and corridor prediction in fragmented landscapes.