Joint Species Distribution Modelling
With Applications in R

A comprehensive account of joint species distribution modelling, covering statistical analyses in light of modern community ecology theory.

Otso Ovaskainen (Author), Nerea Abrego (Author)

9781108716789, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 11 June 2020

388 pages, 117 b/w illus. 17 colour illus.
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.9 cm, 0.65 kg

'This book is an excellent resource for any quantitative ecologist or ecological statistician interested in conducting science-driven analyses with statistical rigor to address pressing questions in community ecology.' Erin M. Schliep, The Quarterly Review of Biology

Joint species distribution modelling (JSDM) is a fast-developing field and promises to revolutionise how data on ecological communities are analysed and interpreted. Written for both readers with a limited statistical background, and those with statistical expertise, this book provides a comprehensive account of JSDM. It enables readers to integrate data on species abundances, environmental covariates, species traits, phylogenetic relationships, and the spatio-temporal context in which the data have been acquired. Step-by-step coverage of the full technical detail of statistical methods is provided, as well as advice on interpreting results of statistical analyses in the broader context of modern community ecology theory. With the advantage of numerous example R-scripts, this is an ideal guide to help graduate students and researchers learn how to conduct and interpret statistical analyses in practice with the R-package Hmsc, providing a fast starting point for applying joint species distribution modelling to their own data.

Part I. Introduction to Community Ecology: Theory and Methods: 1. Historical development of community ecology
2. Typical data collected by community ecologists
3. Typical statistical methods applied by community ecologists
4. An overview of the structure and use of HMSC
Part II. Building a Joint Species Distribution Model Step by Step: 5. Single-species distribution modelling
6. Joint species distribution modelling: variation in species niches
7. Joint species distribution modelling: biotic interactions
8. Bayesian inference in HMSC
9. Evaluating model fit and selecting among multiple models
Part III. Applications and Perspectives: 10. Linking HMSC back to community assembly processes
11. Illustration of HMSC analyses: case study of Finnish birds
12. Conclusions and future directions
Epilogue
Index
References.

Subject Areas: Conservation of the environment [RNK], Environmental management [RNF], Applied ecology [RNC], Ecological science, the Biosphere [PSAF]