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Favourability: concept, distinctive characteristics and potential usefulness

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Abstract

The idea of analysing the general favourability for the occurrence of an event was presented in 2006 through a mathematical function. However, even when favourability has been used in species distribution modelling, the conceptual framework of this function is not yet well perceived among many researchers. The present paper is conceived for providing a wider and more in-depth presentation of the idea of favourability; concretely, we aimed to clarify both the concept and the main distinctive characteristics of the favourability function, especially in relation to probability and suitability, the most common outputs in species distribution modelling. As the capabilities of the favourability function go beyond species distribution modelling, we also illustrate its usefulness for different research disciplines for which this function remains unknown. In particular, we stressed that the favourability function has potential to be applied in all the cases where the probability of occurrence of an event is analysed, such as, for example, habitat selection or epidemiological studies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge funding from Spanish Plan Nacional de Investigación and FEDER CGL2009-11316/BOS. P. A. was supported by the Vicerrectorado de Investigación of the University of Malaga and currently by a Beatriu de Pinós fellowship funded by Comissionat per a Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Innovació, Universitats i Empresa, of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the COFUND Programme–Marie Curie Actions under 7th Marc Programme of the European Community.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biogeography, Diversity, and Conservation Research Team, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga, 29071, Malaga, Spain

    Pelayo Acevedo & Raimundo Real

  2. Campus Agrario de Vairão, CIBIO/UP—Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal

    Pelayo Acevedo

  3. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain

    Pelayo Acevedo

  4. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), UAB-IRTA, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Pelayo Acevedo

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  1. Pelayo Acevedo
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  2. Raimundo Real
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Correspondence to Pelayo Acevedo.

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Communicated by: Sven Thatje

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Acevedo, P., Real, R. Favourability: concept, distinctive characteristics and potential usefulness. Naturwissenschaften 99, 515–522 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-012-0926-0

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