Habitat suitability and community modelling of marine benthos = Modeleren van habitatgeschiktheid en gemeenschapsstructuren van marien benthos
Merckx, B. (2011). Habitat suitability and community modelling of marine benthos = Modeleren van habitatgeschiktheid en gemeenschapsstructuren van marien benthos. PhD Thesis. Ghent University: Gent. ISBN 978-90-77713-87-7. 309 pp.
This PhD focuses on the development of powerful statistical models which cope with modelling pitfalls typical for spatial data and data assembled from various sources, but which are often ignored. In this respect issues such as spatial autocorrelation, sampling bias and overfitting are addressed. The aim of this thesis is two-fold: adapting the current modelling process in such a way that potential pitfalls are revealed and circumvented; and getting insight in the ecology and biodiversity of the taxa under study on a small and large spatial scale. On a small scale 'species assembly rules' have been investigated for the nematode community; on a large spatial scale the diversity of nematode communities is modelled. This research focuses also on habitat suitability modelling of more than 100 nematode species and two macrobenthic species.
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