Species Distribution and Conservation Prioritization Quiz

Species distribution is the spatial arrangement of a biological taxon, and its range is the geographic area within which a species can be found, often represented as shaded areas on a map. The pattern of distribution changes depending on the scale at which they are viewed, from the arrangement of individuals within a small family unit to the distribution of the entire species as a whole. The distribution of species is affected by both abiotic and biotic factors, including predation, disease, competition for resources, and human activities. Abiotic factors include climate, water sources, and vegetation. Humans are one of the largest distributors due to the current trends in globalization and the expanse of the transportation industry. On large scales, the pattern of distribution among individuals in a population is clumped, and on small scales, the pattern may be clumped, regular, or random. The Clark–Evans nearest neighbor method and the variance/mean ratio method are used to determine the distribution pattern of species. Species distribution models are used to assess climate change impacts and conservation management issues. Grid size can affect the output of these models, and the Species Distribution Grids Project is an effort to create maps and databases of the whereabouts of various animal species.Prioritizing Areas for Deforestation Prevention

• The focus is on preventing deforestation and prioritizing areas based on species richness.
• Data is available for global amphibian distributions, as well as birds and mammals in the Americas as of April 2009.
• The Species Grids data set contains sample maps for the Gridded Species Distribution map gallery.
• The maps in the Gridded Species Distribution are not comprehensive but are a representative sample of the available data for download.
• The prioritization is based on species richness and not on the vulnerability of individual species.
• The work is focused on identifying areas for conservation and not on any specific conservation initiatives.
• The prioritization is based on the number of species present in an area and not on the rarity of those species.
• The data is collected from a variety of sources, including museums, scientific institutions, and government agencies.
• The maps in the Gridded Species Distribution show the distribution of species in a given area, with different colors indicating the number of species present.
• The maps are produced using a grid-based approach, with each cell representing a specific area and the number of species present in that cell.
• The Gridded Species Distribution is a valuable tool for conservation planning and identifying areas for conservation initiatives.
• The work is ongoing, with new data and maps being added to the Gridded Species Distribution regularly.