Premium
Investigating biogeographical patterns using point‐based cartograms
Author(s) -
Keddy Alexander,
Beiko Robert G.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
global ecology and biogeography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.164
H-Index - 152
eISSN - 1466-8238
pISSN - 1466-822X
DOI - 10.1111/geb.12698
Subject(s) - phylogenetic tree , context (archaeology) , visualization , range (aeronautics) , geography , computer science , ecology , biology , data mining , paleontology , biochemistry , materials science , gene , composite material
Aim Visualization is an important tool in the investigation of phylogenetic distributions of species. Several tools have been developed that allow a researcher to overlay species distributions and phylogenetic trees on a map. However, when samples span a large range but also have high density in some regions, it can be difficult to appreciate both the global and the local context of biodiversity in a single view. Innovation We have developed an algorithm for cartogram construction that extends the Gastner–Newman approach to point‐based rather than region‐based data. Cartogram construction is controlled by parameters that impact the magnitude and extent of the distortion. We also introduce the geographically coupled phylogenetic distance (GCPD), a quantitative measure that combines phylogenetic diversity with geographical distance, as a criterion for distorting a map. Main conclusions We used our cartogram approach to develop enhanced geographical visualizations of datasets, including an outbreak of Vibrio cholerae in Haiti and the distribution of the salamander Aneides lugubris in California, U.S.A. In both examples, our cartogram approach allowed the concurrent visualization of local distributional patterns while preserving the broader context of the survey. Our implementation in the GenGIS software package allows joint visualization of cartogram, phylogenetic and other types of data.