Effects of Climate and Land Use on Mammal Species Composition in the USA
Author Information
Author(s): Kent Rafi, Bar-Massada Avi, Carmel Yohay
Primary Institution: The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Hypothesis
Climate is the predominant environmental factor affecting species composition at large scales.
Conclusion
Climate and land-use variables significantly influence mammal species composition, with climate being more important at larger spatial scales.
Supporting Evidence
- Climate was the predominant factor affecting species composition.
- The impact of land-use variables decreased as spatial scale increased.
- The study analyzed data from over 308,000 mammal records.
Takeaway
This study found that the weather and how we use land are really important for understanding which mammals live where in the USA.
Methodology
The study analyzed mammal occurrence records and environmental data across multiple spatial scales using Canonical Correspondence Analysis.
Potential Biases
Presence-only data may introduce biases in the analysis of species composition.
Limitations
The study focused only on terrestrial mammals and excluded bats, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
The study included data from approximately 308,000 records of terrestrial mammals across the contiguous USA.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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