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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM)
Published on: October 11, 2016
Mixtures of GAMs for habitat suitability analysis with overdispersed presence / absence data
David R J Pleydell1, Stéphane Chrétien
1UMR 6249 Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, Université de Franche-Comté, Place Leclerc, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France.
Abstract:
A new approach to species distribution modelling based on unsupervised classification via a finite mixture of GAMs incorporating habitat suitability curves is proposed. A tailored EM algorithm is outlined for computing maximum likelihood estimates. Several submodels incorporating various parameter constraints are explored. Simulation studies confirm, that under certain constraints, the habitat suitability curves are recovered with good precision. The method is also applied to a set of real data concerning presence/absence of observable small mammal indices collected on the Tibetan plateau. The resulting classification was found to correspond to species-level differences in habitat preference described in previous ecological work.
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