Species distribution modelling (SDM) is a burgeoning area of research in fields such as ecology, conservation, phylogeography and invasion biology. Simply put, SDMs use spatial occurrence data together with broadscale environmental data to predict spatial patterns of environmental suitability for species.
In our inaugural Stats Toolbox Seminar, Vernon Visser provided a brief introduction to SDMs. Below you can find the lecture slides and R script from this seminar. Provided in these materials is:
- A step-by-step guide to running your own SDM
- Suggestions for best practices
- References that can help provide more detail on the methods
- An R script that is annotated to make its understanding and adaptability easier
These materials should give you a major head start to running your own SDMs!
R scripts (these are in a zip file. One file is the main script. The other file, "Zurell et al. 2012. SI R functions. DDI.txt" must be placed in the same directory as which you place the main script and which you will set as your working directory.