A Modeling Approach to Investigate Species-Environment relationship in Coral Areas Using in-Situ observations
摘要
The distribution of relevant benthopelagic species in two cold-water coral provinces of Central Mediterranean is investigated. Using in-situ data from video system surveys, the work explores coral habitat roles and environmental influences on biodiversity. Distributional regression models estimate species abundance, emphasizing the critical importance of selecting appropriate abundance measures due to their direct influence on modeling choices. GLM and GAMLSS frameworks are used to model count and non-negative abundance data, allowing simultaneous evaluation of several area-specific environmental drivers. Results reveal variations in estimated abundances owing to environmental factors, aiding ecologists in assessing species abundance in these ecosystems.