Species distribution modelling: data analysis in ecology

Project details

Species distribution models (or SDM's) are used to explore how the occurrence of a species is related to the environment, and how a species might respond to changes in its environment. This can help find new locations where a rare species might be found, or understand the potential threats to a species due to urban encroachment, climate change, or other causes.

Methodology for constructing species distribution models is an exciting interdisciplinary research front in which contributions are being made by statisticians, computer scientists and ecologists. The Eco-Stats group, together with collaborators at the Australian Museum and elsewhere around Australia, are developing methods that can predict species distribution at a spatial resolution finer than ever before and with greater functionality than previously.

See also http://methodsblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/some-big-news-about-maxent/

Further information

• The Eco-Stats Research Group
• Warton D.I. & Shepherd L.C. (2010). Poisson point process models solve the "pseudo-absence problem" for presence-only data in ecology. Annals of Applied Statistics 4(4), 2203-2204.