Joint Species Distribution Modelling (JSDM) using HMSC: A Hierarchical Modelling Approach (JSDM01) – Applications for Marine Mammal Research https://prstats.org/course/joint-species-distribution-modelling-jsdm01/ Delivered by Dr. Bastien Parisy, a community ecologist at the University of Helsinki whose research focuses on plant–soil interactions, community ecology, and environmental change. His work combines field ecology with advanced statistical methods, including Joint Species Distribution Models (JSDMs), Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC), and ecological network analysis. Learn how to analyse complex marine communities using Joint Species Distribution Models (JSDMs) and Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC) in R, with methods that are highly applicable to marine mammal research. Marine mammals exist within complex ecological communities influenced by oceanographic conditions, prey distributions, habitat characteristics, and interactions with other marine species. Traditional species distribution models analyse each species independently, often overlooking the ecological relationships that shape marine ecosystems. Joint Species Distribution Models provide a powerful hierarchical framework for modelling multiple species simultaneously, enabling researchers to investigate environmental responses, species co-occurrence, functional traits, spatial structure, and community dynamics. This course provides comprehensive, hands-on training in HMSC, one of the leading frameworks for analysing complex marine communities. What you'll gain * A thorough understanding of Joint Species Distribution Modelling (JSDMs) and the HMSC framework * Practical experience building hierarchical community models in R * Skills in incorporating environmental variables, species traits, spatial structure, and community-level responses into JSDMs * Understanding of species co-occurrence, residual associations, and community assembly processes * Confidence interpreting JSDM outputs and evaluating model performance Course format * Live, instructor-led online training * Hands-on coding using real ecological community datasets * Interactive practical exercises throughout * Strong focus on applied, research-ready workflows Who is this course for? * Marine mammal researchers * Marine ecologists and conservation biologists * Researchers studying cetaceans, pinnipeds, and marine ecosystems * PhD students and quantitative marine scientists * Anyone interested in applying hierarchical community models to marine ecology Why take this course? Marine mammal conservation increasingly depends on understanding ecosystem-level processes rather than focusing solely on individual species. JSDMs enable researchers to investigate how oceanographic conditions, prey communities, habitat characteristics, and broader marine biodiversity jointly influence marine mammal distributions and ecological interactions. These models are becoming increasingly valuable for ecosystem-based management, biodiversity monitoring, habitat suitability assessments, and evaluating the impacts of climate change and human activities on marine ecosystems. This course equips you with the practical skills needed to construct, fit, interpret, and validate Joint Species Distribution Models using HMSC in R. Whether you're studying prey–predator relationships, marine biodiversity, habitat suitability, ecosystem responses to climate change, species co-occurrence, or conservation planning, you'll gain the analytical toolkit needed to confidently analyse complex marine communities using state-of-the-art hierarchical models. Learn more & enrol PR Stats course page for Joint Species Distribution Modelling (JSDM) using HMSC: A Hierarchical Modelling Approach (JSDM01) https://prstats.org/course/joint-species-distribution-modelling-jsdm01/ Questions? Email: oliver@prstats.org Oliver Hooker Managing Partner [signature_68833404] Advanced Training for Researchers in the Life Sciences coursesinfo@prstats.org <http://oliver@prstats.org/> | www.prstats.org<http://www.prstats.org/>
