Table 4

Model ranking for models estimating age-specific survival and recapture probability as a function of environmental stochasticity

Model
ΔQAICc
wQAICc
k

High density (1951–1964)



ϕ(age-pup*t/pup*t) p(t)
0.000
0.804
35
ϕ(age-mother*t/mother*t) p(t)
2.830
0.195
34
ϕ(age-t/t) p(t)
16.950
<0.001
30
ϕ(age-pup*t/t) p(t)
24.810
<0.001
34
ϕ (age-mother*t/t) p(t)
24.820
<0.001
34




Low density (1993–1999)



ϕ (age-mother*t/mother*t)p(t)
0.000
0.767
24
ϕ (mother*t)p(t)
2.380
0.233
18
ϕ (age-pup*t/pup*t)p(t)
17.060
<0.001
22
ϕ (age-t/t)p(t)
32.800
<0.001
17
ϕ (age-pup*t/t)p(t)
40.820
<0.001
21

Effects of age (age-juvenile/adult), time (t), and environmental conditions represented by the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) during the newly weaned seal's foraging period (Jan-Oct) (pup), and during a mother's pre-partum foraging period (Jan-Oct of the previous year) (mother) on the probability of survival (ϕ) of southern elephant seals during the high- (1951–1964) and low-density (1993–1999) eras. Models are ranked according to their Akaike weights (wQAICc), the relative change in AICc score (ΔQAICc), and number of parameters (k) based on an inflation factor (ĉ) of 1.3861.

de Little et al. BMC Ecology 2007 7:3   doi:10.1186/1472-6785-7-3