Species Distribution Modeling

Simulation of ecological effects of climate change. Species distribution modeling uses statistically or theoretically derived response surfaces to relate observations of species occurrence or known tolerance limits to environmental predictor variables, thereby predicting a species’ range as the manifestation of habitat characteristics that limit or support its presence at a particular location. Species distribution models are also referred to as environmental niche models. Bioclimate envelope models can be considered as a subset of species distribution models that predict species occurrence or habitat suitability based on climatic variables only.