The shadow model: how and why small choices in spatially explicit species distribution models affect predictions.

ABSTRACT: The use of species distribution models (SDMs) has rapidly increased over the last decade, driven largely by increasing observational evidence of distributional shifts of terrestrial and aquatic populations. These models permit, for example, the quantification of range shifts, the estimation of species co-occurrence, and the association of habitat to species distribution and abundance. The increasing complexity of contemporary SDMs presents new challenges-as the choices among modeling options increase, it is essential to understand how these choices affect model outcomes. Using a combination of original analysis and literature review, we synthesize the effects of three common model choices in semi-parametric predictive process species distribution modeling: model structure, spatial extent o

SUBMITTER: Commander CJC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8852273 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature