Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 84 (2): 217-240, 2011
REVIEW ARTICLE
Species distributions models: A synthetic revision
In the last years a new tool has become widely used in ecological studies:
species distribution models. These models analyze the spatial patterns of presence of organisms objectively, by means of
statistical and cartographic procedures based on real data. They infer the presence of potentially suitable areas according
to their environmental characteristics. Data stored in natural history collections can be used for this purpose, which gives
new opportunities to use to these types of data. The models have evolved from the analysis of single species to the study of
hundreds or thousands of taxa which are combined for the assessment of biodiversity and species richness. In this paper we
review the variety of methods used, their potential and weaknesses, and the limiting factors that influence the interpretation
of species distribution models.
Key words:
ecological
modeling, revision, species distribution models
