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Habitat suitability modelling and niche theory

  1. Alexandre H. Hirzel1,2,*,
  2. Gwenaëlle Le Lay1

Article first published online: 21 JUL 2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01524.x

Issue

Journal of Applied Ecology

Journal of Applied Ecology

Volume 45, Issue 5, pages 1372–1381, October 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Hirzel, A. H. and Le Lay, G. (2008), Habitat suitability modelling and niche theory. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45: 1372–1381. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01524.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory for Conservation Biology, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; and

  2. 2

    Zoological Institute, Division of Conservation Biology, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland

* *Correspondence author. E-mail: alexandre.hirzel@unil.ch

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 29 AUG 2008
  2. Article first published online: 21 JUL 2008
  3. Received 31 May 2007; accepted 23 June 2008; Handling Editor: Mark Hebblewhite

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Keywords:

  • community ecology;
  • conservation;
  • fundamental and realized niche;
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS);
  • generalization;
  • niche evolution;
  • Resource Selection Functions (RSF);
  • spatial predictions

Summary

  • 1
    The concept of the ecological niche relates a set of environmental variables to the fitness of species, while habitat suitability models (HSMs) relate environmental variables to the likelihood of occurrence of the species. In spite of this relationship, the concepts are weakly linked in the literature, and there is a strong need for better integration.
  • 2
    We selectively reviewed the literature for habitat suitability studies that directly addressed four common facets of niche theory: niche characteristics, niche interactions, community-wide processes and niche evolution.
  • 3
    We found that HSMs have mostly contributed to the study of niche characteristics, but the three other themes are gaining impetus. We discuss three issues that emerge from these studies: (i) commonly used environmental variables and their link with ecological niches; (ii) the causes of false absences and false presences in species data, and associated issues; (iii) the three axes of model generalization (interpolation and extrapolation): environmental, spatial and temporal. Finally, we propose a list of 12 recommendations to strengthen the use of HSMs for wildlife management.
  • 4
    Synthesis and applications. This selective review provides conservation biologists with a list of pointers to key niche-theory concepts and a wide palette of related HSM studies. It also brings together frameworks that are often separated: theoretical and applied ecology studies; botany, zoology and parasitology; and different HSM frameworks, such as Resource Selection Functions, Species Distribution Modelling, Ecological Niche Modelling, and Gradient Analysis. We hope that integration of all these slices of knowledge will improve the quality and reliability of HSM predictions.
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