Combining niche and dispersal in a simple model (NDM) of species distribution.

ABSTRACT: Predicting the distribution of species has become a crucial issue in biodiversity research. Two kinds of model address this question: niche models, which are usually based on static approaches linking species distribution to habitat characteristics, and dispersal models, which are usually dynamic and process-based. We propose a model (NDM: niche and dispersal model) that considers the local presence of a species to result from a dynamic balance between extinction (based on the niche concept) and immigration (based on the dispersal concept), at a given moment in time, in a spatially explicit context. We show that NDM correctly predicts observed bird species and community distributions at different scales. NDM helps to reconcile the contrasting paradigms of metacommunity theory. It shows tha

SUBMITTER: Genard M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3827172 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature