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Modelling abiotic indicators when obtaining spatial predictions of species richness

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Abstract

When conservation biologists formulate strategy used in decisions concerning the locations of new national parks, refuges and reserves, accurate information about species richness and spatialpatterns of species distributions can be critical. Recent research has demonstrated that spatial models and bioindicator taxa can be quite useful for determining generalized spatial patterns of unrelated taxa on a continental scale. In this research, I incorporate abiotic effects, in this case altitudinal relief, into both the mean and the covariance structures of the spatial prediction model. I use bird species data collected in the Indian subcontinent and cross-validation techniques to illustrate the degree of improvement in prediction accuracy engendered by using theabiotic factor and the modified spatial models.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Arizona State University, Box 871501, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1501, USA

    Steven S Carroll

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  1. Steven S Carroll
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Carroll, S.S. Modelling abiotic indicators when obtaining spatial predictions of species richness. Environmental and Ecological Statistics 5, 257–276 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009625520502

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