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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Coefficient shifts in geographical ecology: An empirical evaluation of spatial and non-spatial regression
Ecography, Volume 32, No. 2, Year 2009
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Description
A major focus of geographical ecology and macroecology is to understand the causes of spatially structured ecological patterns. However, achieving this understanding can be complicated when using multiple regression, because the relative importance of explanatory variables, as measured by regression coefficients, can shift depending on whether spatially explicit or non-spatial modeling is used. However, the extent to which coefficients may shift and why shifts occur are unclear. Here, we analyze the relationship between environmental predictors and the geographical distribution of species richness, body size, range size and abundance in 97 multi-factorial data sets. Our goal was to compare standardized partial regression coefficients of non-spatial ordinary least squares regressions (i.e. models fitted using ordinary least squares without taking autocorrelation into account; "OLS models" hereafter) and eight spatial methods to evaluate the frequency of coefficient shifts and identify characteristics of data that might predict when shifts are likely. We generated three metrics of coefficient shifts and eight characteristics of the data sets as predictors of shifts. Typical of ecological data, spatial autocorrelation in the residuals of OLS models was found in most data sets. The spatial models varied in the extent to which they minimized residual spatial autocorrelation. Patterns of coefficient shifts also varied among methods and datasets, although the magnitudes of shifts tended to be small in all cases. We were unable to identify strong predictors of shifts, including the levels of autocorrelation in either explanatory variables or model residuals. Thus, changes in coefficients between spatial and non-spatial methods depend on the method used and are largely idiosyncratic, making it difficult to predict when or why shifts occur. We conclude that the ecological importance of regression coefficients cannot be evaluated with confidence irrespective of whether spatially explicit modelling is used or not. Researchers may have little choice but to be more explicit about the uncertainty of models and more cautious in their interpretation. © 2009 Ecography.
Authors & Co-Authors
Bini, Luis Mauricio
Brazil, Goiania
Universidade Federal de Goiás
Diniz-Filho, José Alexandre Felizola Alexandre Felizola
Brazil, Goiania
Universidade Federal de Goiás
Rangel, Thiago F.L.V.B.
United States, Farmville
Longwood University
Akre, Thomas S.B.
United States, Storrs
University of Connecticut
Albaladejo, Rafael G.
Spain, Sevilla
Universidad de Sevilla
Albuquerque, Fabio S.
Spain, Alcala de Henares
Universidad de Alcalá
Aparicio, Abelardo
Spain, Sevilla
Universidad de Sevilla
Araújo, Miguel B.
Spain, Madrid
Csic - Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales Mncn
Baselga, Andrés
Spain, Madrid
Csic - Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales Mncn
Beck, Jan
Switzerland, Basel
Universitat Basel
Bellocq, M. Isabel
Argentina, Buenos Aires
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Böhning-Gaese, Katrin
Germany, Mainz
Johannes Gutenberg-universität Mainz
Borges, Paulo A.V.
Portugal, Ponta Delgada
Universidade Dos Açores
Castro-Parga, Isabel
Spain, Madrid
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Chey, Vun Khen
Malaysia, Sandakan
Forest Research Centre - Sandakan
Chown, Steven L.
South Africa, Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch University
De Marco, Paulo
Brazil, Goiania
Universidade Federal de Goiás
Dobkin, David S.
United States, Bend
High Desert Ecological Research Institute
Ferrer-Castán, Dolores
Spain, Salamanca
Universidad de Salamanca
Field, Richard G.
United Kingdom, Nottingham
University of Nottingham
Filloy, Julieta
Argentina, Buenos Aires
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Fleishman, Erica
United States, Santa Barbara
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Gómez, Jose F.
Spain, Madrid
Csic - Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales Mncn
Hortal, Joaquín
United Kingdom, London
Imperial College London
Iverson, John B.
United States, Richmond
Earlham College
Kerr, Jeremy Thomas
Canada, Ottawa
University of Ottawa
Kissling, Wilm Daniel
Germany, Mainz
Johannes Gutenberg-universität Mainz
Kitching, Ian J.
United Kingdom, London
The Natural History Museum, London
León-Cortés, Jorge L.
Mexico, San Cristobal de Las Casas
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur
Lobo, Jorge M.
Spain, Madrid
Csic - Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales Mncn
Montoya, Daniel
Spain, Alcala de Henares
Universidad de Alcalá
Morales-Castilla, Ignacio
Spain, Alcala de Henares
Universidad de Alcalá
Moreno-Saiz, Juan Carlos
Spain, Madrid
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Oberdorff, T.
France, Paris
Museum National D'histoire Naturelle
Olalla-Tárraga, Miguel Ángel
Spain, Alcala de Henares
Universidad de Alcalá
Pausas, Juli G.
Spain, Moncada
Csic-gv-uv - Centro de Investigaciones Sobre Desertificación
Qian, Hong
United States, Springfield
Illinois State Museum
Rahbek, Carsten
Denmark, Copenhagen
Københavns Universitet
Rodŕiguez, Miguel Ángel
Spain, Alcala de Henares
Universidad de Alcalá
Rueda, Marta
Spain, Alcala de Henares
Universidad de Alcalá
Ruggiero, Adriana
Argentina, Bariloche
Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente, Bariloche
Sackmann, Paula
Argentina, Bariloche
Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente, Bariloche
Sanders, Nathan J.
United States, Knoxville
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Terribile, Levi Carina
Brazil, Goiania
Universidade Federal de Goiás
Vetaas, Ole R.
Norway, Bergen
Universitetet I Bergen
Hawkins, Bradford Alan
United States, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
Statistics
Citations: 269
Authors: 46
Affiliations: 30
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1600-0587.2009.05717.x
e-ISSN:
16000587