Ecological Niche Modeling: Using Satellite Imagery and New Field Data to Support Ecological Theory and its Applicability in the Brazilian Cerrado

The value of modeling as a tool to analyze species distribution in geographic space has been well documented. In the present study, we predicted potential distribution of Davilla elliptica a typical Brazilian Cerrado plant, to determine if the niche specified by the model was favorable habitat, and confirmed by actual occurrence data throughout the geographic range of the specie. We constructed an overlay of the modeling results in a Google Earth program as a field guide for re-sampling occurrence data of actual plant localities. We detected this specie in localities indicated as potential niches by the model. A comparison between theory and practice by re-sampling is important to assess the extent of the niche occupied by specie, as well as provide additional ecological data, providing confidence in the use of modeling in areas of high biodiversity, which are under continued threat, such as the Brazilian Cerrado.