11. No Silver Bullets in ENM
• Single algorithms may perform ‘best’ on average
• The best algorithm in any given situation,
however, may be other than the ‘best’
• NSB thinking suggests that we should not use a
single approach
• Use a suite of approaches (e.g., as implemented
in OM, BIOMOD, BIOENSEMBLES, etc.), challenge
to predict, choose best for that situation
• Maxent is good, but it is not the only algorithm …
18. Which Model is Best?
Least calibration error
Most calibration
error
Moderate
calibration
error
19. Which Model is Best?
Least calibration error
Most calibration
error
Moderate
calibration
error
20. Five Goals of Niche Modeling
1. ESTIMATE THE FUNDAMENTAL NICHE
2. ESTIMATE THE FUNDAMENTAL NICHE
3. ESTIMATE THE FUNDAMENTAL NICHE
4. ESTIMATE THE FUNDAMENTAL NICHE
5. ESTIMATE THE FUNDAMENTAL NICHE
21. How Would the Fundamental Niche Look?
• In any one dimension, expected to be
unimodal
• In multiple dimensions, expected to be convex
• So, simple models are probably better
• Need to take sampling and incomplete
representation into account carefully
33. Current Methods
• Popular methods fit highly complex objects to
estimate niches … but which niche?
• Complex objects are more likely to correspond
to the existing niche, rather than the
fundamental
34. Simplify:
• Complex response forms created by many
current algorithms do not fit well with our
understanding of the fundamental niche
• Simple, convex response forms may be much
more appropriate as approximations to the
fundamental niche
• This thinking will most likely require
algorithms that can incorporate incomplete
data, as well as uncertainty in inference, but
fit simple response forms
42. AIC: A Means of Choosing
Complex Models
• Fit better with realized
niche and SDM
• Risk overfitting
• Frequently will be limited in
predictive ability
Simple Models
• Fit better with ecological
niche theory
• Risk underfitting
• May not address the full
complexity of distributional
ecology
59. ENM Thresholding
• Least Training Presence Thresholding seeks the
highest threshold level that includes all
calibration data, or T100
• The T100 approach fails when there is error in the
occurrence data set
• E is a summary of the expected proportion of
data in the calibration dataset that will include
significant errors
• And “Adjusted LTPT” approach would seek T100-E
as a thresholding approach ideal for ENM
62. You Fit Your ENM… And Now?
• Niches to distributions
• Consideration of dispersal (non-equilibrium
situations)
• Add consideration of factors not able to be
incorporated directly in the model
– E.g., land-use change, human presence
63. You Fit Your ENM… And Now?
• Niches to distributions
• Consideration of dispersal (non-equilibrium
situations)
• Add consideration of factors not able to be
incorporated directly in the model
– E.g., land-use change, human presence
65. Potential and Actual Distributions
Abiotic niche
Biotic interactionsAccessibility
66. Niches to Distributions
• In geographic space, distributions are the results
of the BAM intersection:
GO = A ∩ B ∩ M
• In “canonical” ENM, the model output is
something like A, or A∩B if the Eltonian Noise
Hypothesis holds
• What does this say about the semantics?
– Ecological niche modeling
– Species distribution modeling
67.
68.
69. Niches to Distributions
GO = A ∩ B ∩ M
• Need to restrict model outputs via some
hypothesis of M … post hoc?
78. The Area of Distribution
G Physiological
requirements
(Abiotic)
A
Favorable biotic
environment
(Biotic)
B
Accessible to
dispersal
(Movements)
M
Sampling
Effort
79. Interesting Result
• If model calibration is constrained to M, and if
the Eltonian Noise Hypothesis holds, then …
GO = A
• Simplifies the modeling process enormously,
and eliminates the need for post-modeling
assumptions about M
80. You Fit Your ENM… And Now?
• Niches to distributions
• Consideration of dispersal (non-equilibrium
situations)
• Add consideration of factors not able to be
incorporated directly in the model
– E.g., land-use change, human presence
81. What About Non-equilibrium Situations?
• Non-equilibrium:
– Species does not inhabit the entire spatial
footprint of its habitable area
• E.g., a projection of future-climate potential
distribution of a species
• E.g., an invading species that has only established
populations in a small part of its potential range
• E.g., a species being evaluated in terms of invasive
potential on other continents
• Need to bring in consideration of dispersal
88. You Fit Your ENM… And Now?
• Niches to distributions
• Consideration of dispersal (non-equilibrium
situations)
• Add consideration of factors not able to be
incorporated directly in the model
– E.g., land-use change, human presence
89. Often Cannot Include Land Cover…
• Occurrence data are too old, or are
heterogeneous temporally
• Occurrence data are not sufficiently finely
resolved spatially to permit link to land cover
• Land use change is ongoing, such that there is
not a single, stable state
• Solution: incorporate after model calibration
90.
91.
92.
93. Adding Fine-scale Effects
• When ENMs cannot be calibrated at the fine
resolutions of land use
• Can make the assumption that species have
particular land-use associations, and that they
will be found only under certain land use
types
• The coarse, climate-based ENM output can be
“clipped” by the finer-resolution land use
outputs