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Predicting the potential distribution of rain‐forest structural characteristics
Author(s) -
Mackey Brendan G.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1654-1103
pISSN - 1100-9233
DOI - 10.2307/3235636
Subject(s) - physical geography , distribution (mathematics) , environmental science , spatial distribution , field (mathematics) , drainage basin , hydrology (agriculture) , ecology , geography , mathematics , geology , cartography , remote sensing , mathematical analysis , geotechnical engineering , pure mathematics , biology
Abstract. Models are reviewed that predict the potential distribution of classes of rain‐forest structural characteristics in relation to indices of climate and soil parent material. A description is given of the field survey undertaken to examine these relations in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. The predicted probabilities are compared with the observed values and the extent of correspondence between the two data sets examined. Environmental relations based on finer‐scaled landscape processes are proposed to explain the mismatches. An index of catchment hydrology is described that represents the most feasible additional independent variable for spatial extension purposes.