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Equivalence of MAXENT and Poisson Point Process Models for Species Distribution Modeling in Ecology
Author(s) -
Renner Ian W.,
Warton David I.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
biometrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.298
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1541-0420
pISSN - 0006-341X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0420.2012.01824.x
Subject(s) - principle of maximum entropy , poisson distribution , point process , environmental niche modelling , equivalence (formal languages) , poisson regression , mathematics , ecology , computer science , statistics , econometrics , biology , ecological niche , habitat , discrete mathematics , population , demography , sociology
Summary Modeling the spatial distribution of a species is a fundamental problem in ecology. A number of modeling methods have been developed, an extremely popular one being MAXENT, a maximum entropy modeling approach. In this article, we show that MAXENT is equivalent to a Poisson regression model and hence is related to a Poisson point process model, differing only in the intercept term, which is scale‐dependent in MAXENT. We illustrate a number of improvements to MAXENT that follow from these relations. In particular, a point process model approach facilitates methods for choosing the appropriate spatial resolution, assessing model adequacy, and choosing the LASSO penalty parameter, all currently unavailable to MAXENT. The equivalence result represents a significant step in the unification of the species distribution modeling literature.