An Optimality Criterion to Determine Areas of Endemism

SZUMIK, CLAUDIA A.; CUEZZO, FABIANA; GOLOBOFF, PABLO A.; CHALUP, ADRIANA

SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY

OXFORD UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2002 vol. 51 p. 806 - 816

1063-5157

A formal method was developed to determine areas of endemism. The study region isdivided into cells, and the number of species that can be considered as endemic is counted for a givenset of cells (D area). Thus, the areas with the maximum number of species considered endemic arepreferred. This is the Žrst method for the identiŽcation of areas of endemism that implements anoptimality criterion directly based on considering the aspects of species distribution that are relevantto endemism. The method is implemented in two computer programs, NDM and VNDM, availablefrom the authors.