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Uses and misuses of bioclimatic envelope modeling
Araújo, Miguel B. Peterson, A. Townsend
Araújo, Miguel B.
Peterson, A. Townsend
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Abstract
Bioclimatic envelope models use associations between aspects of climate and species' occurrences to estimate the conditions that are suitable to maintain viable populations. Once bioclimatic envelopes are characterized, they can be applied to a variety of questions in ecology, evolution, and conservation. However, some have questioned the usefulness of these models, because they may be based on implausible assumptions or may be contradicted by empirical evidence. We review these areas of contention, and suggest that criticism has often been misplaced, resulting from confusion between what the models actually deliver and what users wish that they would express. Although improvements in data and methods will have some effect, the usefulness of these models is contingent on their appropriate use, and they will improve mainly via better awareness of their conceptual basis, strengths, and limitations.
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Date
2012-07-01
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Ecological Society of America
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Keywords
Biodiversity, Biogeography, Climate change, Climate envelopes, Conservation planning, Ecological niches, Invasions, Niche conservation, Restoration ecology, Species distributions, Translocation experiments, Uncertainty in prediction
Citation
Miguel B. Araújo and A. Townsend Peterson 2012. Uses and misuses of bioclimatic envelope modeling. Ecology 93:1527–1539. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/11-1930.1