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Generalized additive models in plant ecology
Author(s) -
Yee Thomas W.,
Mitchell Neil D.
Publication year - 1991
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 - 10.2307/3236170
Subject(s) - generalized additive model , generalized linear model , ecology , extension (predicate logic) , plot (graphics) , dimension (graph theory) , scale (ratio) , parametric statistics , mathematics , parametric model , geography , biology , computer science , statistics , cartography , pure mathematics , programming language
. Generalized additive models (GAMs) are a non‐parametric extension of generalized linear models (GLMs). They are introduced here as an exploratory tool in the analysis of species distributions with respect to climate. An important result is that the long‐debated question of whether a response curve, in one dimension, is actually symmetric and bell‐shaped or not, can be tested using GAMs. GAMs and GLMs are discussed and are illustrated by three examples using binary data. A grey‐scale plot of one of the fits is constructed to indicate which areas on a map seem climatically suitable for that species. This is useful for species introductions. Further applications are mentioned.