Ecological Niche Modeling and Species' Distributions

This course will introduce students to theoretical aspects of ecological niche modeling, as well as commonly used biodiversity and GIS data (e.g. climatic, topographic). Students will learn how to generate niche models and distribution predictions, and will use them to address questions related to species' ecology, conservation, and biogeography. This course will also have an emphasis in model construction and model validation, which could be applied to many other fields. Prior introductory knowledge of programming and GIS is preferred (not required).