Partial versus Full Species Distribution Models

In this essay I assess the impact of generating species distribution models (SDMs), also known as ecological niche models (ENMs), within artificial geographical or political boundaries by comparing them with SDMs that use the complete distribution of species. I illustrate the differences between the paired SDMs on the plant genus Inga modelled within the political boundaries of Brazil (Partial SDM) compared to SDMs developed for the entire Neotropical humid tropics biome (Full SDM). Partial SDMs portray range contractions, or under-prediction, at the artificial boundaries and have different patterns of predicted presence and absence. It is therefore advisable that SDMs use presence data from the complete distribution ranges of species. Furthermore, it should be kept in mind that any SDM essentially has a partial extent in space and time.