Mapping Species Distributions: Spatial Inference and Prediction (Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation) Illustrated Edition

Dr. Franklin's book is amazing. My copy is so full of color-coded post-it tabs, it looks like a piñata. This book is a must for students and researchers of geobotany, biogeography, botany, biology, ecology, etc. etc.The book considers many methods of studying species distributions, and the reference sections are very detailed!

This is a very good overview text. A detailed table of contents makes it easy to find what you want to read about. Franklin discusses the development of and justification for species distribution modeling, necessary to understand its multifaceted approach. The book provides an excellent and extensive source of literature references for further reading.

This is a good introduction to methods and theoretical issues related to mapping species distributions. From Maxent to GARP AND Biomapper.

I'm a geography professor who originally studied with Dr. Franklin. This volume is the book i've been waiting for for my students and my own research: concise, clear, and well organized, I'll be assigning this to everyone in my lab and classes!

We adopted Janet Franklin's book in a specialized graduate course for ecology students at the University of Amsterdam, and it turned out to be very well suited for our purposes.The book covers all relevant aspects of species distribution modeling (SDM) in a balanced and accessible way for ecologists that want to understand or apply SDM. In my view the right choices were made in covering the all different aspects of SDM (species data, environmental data, methods, methodological background, case studies) while reaching sufficient depth at the critical points.The book does not contain exercises, so when using it as study material, it should be complemented by exercises and examples (both data sets and computer-code implementing models). But in fact, I consider it a (wise) choice rather than an omission not to include that kind of material in the book. The appropriate type of exercises and model-implementations depend a lot on the specific interests of a target group as well as the modeling and/or computer skills. So one would for that purpose rather design tailored material, complementing the book.The book provides a very complete bibliography (and 'model-ography') on species distribution modeling until 2010. The discussion of this literature (including it's structuring in several tables) is thoughtful and well done.My only criticism on the book is not about content but about layout: a) some illustrations could have been made much better (e.g. those picturing regression trees, figs. 7.1 & 7.2) or more information-rich (e.g. the explanation of an ensemble model, fig. 7.5); b) an author-index would have been nice (since the book gives a very good introduction to - and overview of the SDM-literature).

Whether you are a student, professor, or experienced species distribution modeler, this book will have something to teach you. As far as I know, this is the only book that truly provides a comprehensive foundation in species distribution modeling. It starts with the history and applications of SDM and the ecological concepts that drive the modeling; then discusses data requirements and issues; covers modeling methods and considerations; and ends with a discussion of model evaluation and implementation. The writing style is casual and very digestible, but the text is also rich with citations to the most recent literature on the topic. Indeed, there are more than 50 pages of references! I've learned a ton from reading this book, and I highly recommend it.