On the Interpretations of Joint Modeling in Community Ecology

Explaining and modeling species communities is more than ever a central goal of ecology. Recently, joint species distribution models (JSDMs), which extend species distribution models (SDMs) by considering correlations among species, have been proposed to improve species community analyses and rare species predictions while potentially inferring species interactions. Here, we illustrate the mathematical links between SDMs and JSDMs and their ecological implications and demonstrate that JSDMs, just like SDMs, cannot separate environmental effects from biotic interactions. We provide a guide to the conditions under which JSDMs are (or are not) preferable to SDMs for species community modeling. More generally, we call for a better uptake and clarification of novel statistical developments in the field of biodiversity modeling.

Automated summary

This article explores the mathematical links between species distribution models (SDMs) and joint species distribution models (JSDMs), emphasizing that both models are unable to separate environmental effects from biotic interactions. The authors provide a guide to help determine when JSDMs are preferable to SDMs for species community modeling. Ultimately, the article calls for a better understanding and adoption of novel statistical developments in biodiversity modeling.