Can abundance of geomorphological features be predicted using presence–absence data?

Abstract Geomorphological models are useful tools for assessing the impacts of changing environmental conditions on earth surface processes and landforms. Here we evaluate the feasibility of predicting the abundance (spatial coverage) of geomorphological features using presence–absence data. To achi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Main Authors: Hjort, Jan, Luoto, Miska
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.1572
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fesp.1572
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/esp.1572
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Summary:Abstract Geomorphological models are useful tools for assessing the impacts of changing environmental conditions on earth surface processes and landforms. Here we evaluate the feasibility of predicting the abundance (spatial coverage) of geomorphological features using presence–absence data. To achieve the study goals, generalized linear models (GLMs), spatial predictors and geomorphological data from a thoroughly inventoried area of 600 km 2 in sub‐Arctic Finland at a resolution of 25 ha were utilized in the exercise. The key finding was that the GLMs derived from presence–absence data performed as consistently, as a relative index of abundance, as models derived directly from the abundance data. Thus, predictions based on presence–absence data may serve as a reasonable surrogate for abundance of geomorphological features. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.