Using species-environmental amplitudes to predict pH values from vegetation

Question: Species optima or indicator values are frequently used to predict environmental variables from species composition. The present study focuses on the question whether predictions can be improved by using species environmental amplitudes instead of single values representing species optima.Location: Semi-natural, deciduous hardwood forests of northwestern Germany.Methods: Based on a data set of 558 relevéés, species responses (presence/absence) to pH were modelled with Huisman-Olff-Fresco (HOF) regression models. Species amplitudes were derived from response curves using three different methods. To predict the pH from vegetation, a maximum amplitude overlap method was applied. For comparison, predictions resulting from several established methods, i. e. maximum likelihood/present and absent species, maximum likelihood/present species only, mean weighted averages and mean Ellenberg indicator values were calculated. The predictive success (squared Pearson's r and root mean square error of prediction) was evaluated using an independent data set of 151 relevéés.Results: Predictions based upon amplitudes defined by maximum Cohen's κκ probability threshold yield the best results of all amplitude definitions (R² == 0.75, RMSEP == 0.52). Provided there is an even distribution of the environmental variable, amplitudes defined by predicted probability exceeding prevalence are also suitable (R² == 0.76, RMSEP == 0.55). The prediction success is comparable to maximum likelihood (present species only) and –– after rescaling –– to mean weighted averages. Predicted values show a good linearity to observed pH values as opposed to a curvilinear relationship of mean Ellenberg indicator values. Transformation or rescaling of the predicted values is not required.Conclusions: Species amplitudes given by a minimum and maximum boundary for each species can be used to efficiently predict environmental variables from species composition. The predictive success is superior to mean Ellenberg indicator values and comparable to mean indicator values based on species weighted averages.Nomenclature: Wisskirchen & Haeupler (1998); Koperski et al. (2000).