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Hindi Research Article
Ecological Niche Modeling: Using Satellite Imagery and New Field Data to Support Ecological Theory and its Applicability in the Brazilian Cerrado
Ismael Martins Pereira* and Milton GroppoFaculty of Philosophy Sciences and Letters of Ribeirao Preto City, Department of Comparative Biology- University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
- *Corresponding Author:
- Ismael Martins Pereira
Faculty of Philosophy Sciences and Letters of Ribeirao Preto City
Department of Comparative Biology - University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
E-mail: ismaelmpufg@gmail.com
Received date: June 09, 2012; Accepted date: June 12, 2012; Published date: June 15, 2012
Citation: Pereira IM, Groppo M (2012) Ecological Niche Modeling: Using Satellite Imagery and New Field Data to Support Ecological Theory and its Applicability in the Brazilian Cerrado. J Ecosyst Ecogr 2:111. doi: 10.4172/2157-7625.1000111
Copyright: © 2012 Pereira IM, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and and source are credited.
Abstract
The value of modeling as a tool to analyze species distribution in geographic space has been well documented. In the present study, we predicted potential distribution of Davilla elliptica a typical Brazilian Cerrado plant, to determine if the niche specified by the model was favorable habitat, and confirmed by actual occurrence data throughout the geographic range of the specie. We constructed an overlay of the modeling results in a Google Earth program as a field guide for re-sampling occurrence data of actual plant localities. We detected this specie in localities indicated as potential niches by the model. A comparison between theory and practice by re-sampling is important to assess the extent of the niche occupied by specie, as well as provide additional ecological data, providing confidence in the use of modeling in areas of high biodiversity, which are under continued threat, such as the Brazilian Cerrado.
