Geographic information systems and spatial analysis: a combined method for panbiogeographic studies

Abstract

ONE OF SUCH STIMULI TO THE PROGRESS OF BIOGEOGRAPHY HAS BEEN THE DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF NEW COMPUTATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES AS GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) AND A VARIETY OF SPATIAL STATISTICAL METHODS. INSIDE HISTORICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY, A WELL-KNOWN FOCUS KNOWN AS PANBIOGEOGRAPHY, FEATURES AS ITS BASIC UNIT THE INDIVIDUAL TRACK, MADE UP OF PRIMARY TAXON COORDINATES IN SPACE. HOWEVER, TRACK CONSTRUCTION CAN BE DIFFICULT AND SUBJECTIVE WHEN THERE ARE MANY TAXON RECORDS. THEREFORE, I PROPOSE A METHOD THAT COMBINES SPATIAL ANALYSES BY GEODESIC DISTANCE CALCULATION, CREATION OF A CONNECTIVITY MATRIX AND MINIMAL SPANNING TREES, WITH THE HANDLING OF LAYERS AND GIS SPATIAL OPERATIONS OF BUFFER AND INTERCEPTION