Spatial autocorrelation and red herrings in geographical ecology

ABSTRACT Aim Spatial autocorrelation in ecological data can inflate Type I errors in statistical analyses. There has also been a recent claim that spatial autocorrelation generates ‘red herrings’, such that virtually all past analyses are flawed. We consider the origins of this phenomenon, the implications of spatial autocorrelation for macro‐scale patterns of species diversity and set out a clarification of the statistical problems generated by its presence. Location To illustrate the issues involved, we analyse the species richness of the birds of western/central Europe, north Africa and the Middle East. Methods Spatial correlograms for richness and five environmental variables were generated using Moran's I…

• CN
  Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico