Using Biological Databases to Improve Biodiversity Assessments: New Methods For Geographic-Based Analysis

确定生物多样性丰富的地区是保护生物资源的关键步骤。 这项研究将评估传统的、以地理为基础的生物多样性评估方法，并开发和评估使用生物收集数据的改进方法。 传统的方法的基础上的物种范围图将首先进行调查，其次是两种替代方法，使用生物收集数据创建倾向表面发生地图。 将提供基于所有这些方法的软件工具。 这项研究将有三个主要用途。首先，它将确定传统的生物多样性评估方法是否会受到物种分布图误差传播的影响，以及误差可能如何以及在何处出现。 第二，趋势面的新技术应该减少预测中的估计误差。 第三，该软件将便利利用收集数据库进行生物多样性评估。

Identifying areas rich in biological diversity is a critical step towards the conservation of biological resources. This research will evaluate traditional, geographic-based biodiversity assessment methods and develop and evaluate improved methods that use biological collection data. The traditional methods based on species range maps will be the first investigated, followed by two alternative methods using biological collection data for creating tend surface maps of occurrence. Software tools based on all of the methods will be made available. The study will have three main uses. First, it will determine whether traditional methods of biodiversity assessment are subject to error propagation from species range maps, and how and where the errors are likely to manifest. Second, new techniques with trend surfaces should reduce estimation errors in predictions. Third, the software will facilitate the use of collection databases for biodiversity assessment.