Species distributions improved by incorporating community structure in predictive models.
Understanding where different species live is important for protecting biodiversity. Scientists used a method called Bayesian Network Inference to study how groups of plants affect where species are found. They found that knowing which species live together can help predict where individual species are found. This is because species that like similar environments tend to live near each other. By looking at how plants are grouped together, scientists can better understand and predict where different species are distributed.