Identification of suitable unoccupied habitats in metapopulation studies using co-occurrence of species

This study proposed a new quantitative technique to identify suitable but unoccupied habitats for metapopulation studies in plants. It is based on species composition at the habitat and knowledge of species co-occurrence patterns. It uses data from a large phytosociological database as a background for estimating species co-occurrence patterns. If such a database is not available, the technique can still be applied using the same data for which the prediction is done to estimate the species co-occurrence pattern. Using the technique we were able to indicate suitable unoccupied habitats and differentiate them from the unoccupied unsuitable ones. We also identified habitats with low probability of being suitable that were occupied. Compared to a direct approach of identification of suitable habitats, which involves introduction of a species to the habitat and studying its performance, the approach presented here is much easier to apply and can provide extensive information on habitat suitability for a range of species with much less effort and time needed.