Local-scale models reveal ecological niche variability in amphibian and reptile communities from two contrasting biogeographic regions.

ABSTRACT: Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) are widely used to describe how environmental factors influence species distribution. Modelling at a local scale, compared to a large scale within a high environmental gradient, can improve our understanding of ecological species niches. The main goal of this study is to assess and compare the contribution of environmental variables to amphibian and reptile ENMs in two Spanish national parks located in contrasting biogeographic regions, i.e., the Mediterranean and the Atlantic area. The ENMs were built with maximum entropy modelling using 11 environmental variables in each territory. The contributions of these variables to the models were analysed and classified using various statistical procedures (Mann-Whitney U tests, Principal Components Analysis a

SUBMITTER: Munoz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5068418 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature