Oral Presentation by Session
| NASA-MSU Golley-Odum Symposium: Defining and modeling species-habitat associations: challenges across landscapes (and seascapes) | |
| Moderator(s): | Yolanda Wiersma, C. Ashton Drew, Falk Huettmann |
| Day: | Tuesday |
| Abstract: Most landscape ecological projects, at some point, define a species-habitat association. Whether coding behavioral rules for dispersal of simulated organisms through simulated landscapes, or designing the sampling extent of field surveys and experiments in real landscapes, landscape ecologists must make assumptions about how organisms experience and utilize the landscape. In the field of species distribution modeling and prediction, definitions of species-habitat associations commonly rest on two ecological theories (Guisan & Thuiller 2005): (1) niche theory and (2) equilibrium theory. In modeling, scientists also make the assumption that species presence implies habitat suitability (Hirzel et al. 2006). These convenient working postulates allow modelers to project the model in time and space, yet rarely are they explicitly considered (Hirzel et al. 2006, McPherson and Jetz 2007). We would like to offer an opportunity for the landscape ecological community to reflect on these and other ecological theories that underpin the assumptions we make during species distribution modeling and mapping. We will invite presentations that (1) highlight how the latest ecological theory can be better integrated into the model building process (as per Austin 2002), (2) offer practical examples of how modelers are addressing the conflict between the complexity of ecological systems and the relative simplicity of their modeled systems, or (3) present novel methods to identify and quantify sources of uncertainty and variability in species-habitat associations in time and space. Austin, M.P. 2002. Spatial prediction of species distribution: an interface between ecological theory and statistical modeling. Ecological Modelling 157: 101-118. Guisan, A., and W. Thuiller. 2005. Predicting species distribution: offering more than simple habitat models. Ecology Letters 8(9): 993-1009. Hirzel A.H., G. Le Lay G, V. Helfer, et al. 2006. Evaluating the ability of habitat suitability models to predict species presences. Ecological Modellings 199: 142-152. McPherson, J.M. and W. Jetz. 2007. Effects of species’ ecology on the accuracy of distribution models. Ecography 30: 135-151. | |
| 1:00-1:20 | Alexandre Hirzel |
| Keynote: Niche theory and habitat suitability modeling | |
| 1:20-1:40 | Mevin Hooten |
| The state of spatio-temporal statistical modeling in ecology | |
| 1:40-2:00 | Falk Huettmann |
| A global meta-analysis of spatially explicit projects modeling biodiversity components: algorithms, deviations, data, reality checks and lessons learnt. | |
| 2:00-2:20 | Edward Laurent |
| The role of assumptions in predictions of habitat availability and quality | |
| 2:20-2:40 | Robert Fletcher |
| Incorporating ecological theory into models of habitat quality: the importance of variation in space and time | |
| 2:40-3:00 | Todd Lookingbill |
| Focused assessment of scale-dependent vegetation pattern | |
| 3:20-3:40 | Yolanda Wiersma |
| A comparison of statistical models for predicting moose habitat in the Liard Valley, Yukon | |
| 3:40-4:00 | Sam Riffell |
| Understanding year-to-year inconsistency in bird-landscape relations: the influence of life-history traits and model selection uncertainty | |
| 4:00-4:20 | Melanie Murphy |
| Boreal toad (Bufo boreas boreas) population connectivity in Yellowstone National Park: quantifying matrix resistance and model uncertainty using landscape genetics | |
| 4:20-4:40 | Jay Roberts |
| Integrating GAP wildlife habitat models with IFMAP, Michigan's forest management decision-support environment | |
| 4:40-5:00 | Nicolette Cagle |
| Habitat classification and conservation practice: scale-matching between ecological and statistical models | |
| 5:00-5:20 | C. Ashton Drew |
| When does fine-scale expert opinion improve large-scale regional species distribution models? | |
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