1. Understanding Distributions of Poorly Known Species Marinez Ferreira de Siqueira Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental

2. Poorly Known Species Microendemics or rare Poorly collected species
Species with extremely restricted ecological needs
E.g., in Cerrado vegetation, 30% of trees are known from single records in the Projeto de Cooperação Técnica Conservação e Manejo da Biodiversidade do Bioma Cerrado – EMBRAPA Cerrados – UnB – Ibama/DFID e RBGE/Reino Unido database
What to do to understand (or begin to understand) the distributions of these species?

3. Ecological Space Measure distance in ecological space
Position of point that might be adjacent to known occurrence
Annual Mean Temperature
Available Environments
Position of point from which species is known
Annual Mean Precipitation

4. Measure Ecological Similarity Across Landscape
Measure ecological distances from all points

5. Understanding Distributions of Poorly Known Species
The idea is to characterize the landscape and region surrounding the one known occurrence as to how similar or different it is in terms of ecological parameters.

6. Assis Ecological Station, a Conservation Unit in São Paulo State.
Results of modeling for Byrsonima subterranea Brad. & Mark. (Malpighiaceae)
Assis Ecological Station, a Conservation Unit in São Paulo State.

7. Modeling for Byrsonima subterranea
grey area = less environmental similarity
blue area = high environmental similarity

8. Modeling for Byrsonima subterranea
Identify areas of high and low ecological similarity to known occurrence point
Black = patches of the cerrado vegetation type

9. Modeling for Baccharis pseudotenuifolia

10. Understanding Distributions of Poorly Known Species
To test the applicability of this approach, we will go to the field to assess whether additional occurrences of this species are concentrated in areas that are highly similar to the single known locality.
This approach is highly experimental, and its presentation at this point is quite preliminary, but it is an illustration of potential approaches to understanding better even the most poorly known species

11. Acknowledgments
Prof. Dr. A. Townsend Peterson - Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, The University of Kansas, to help with modelling
Dra Giselda Durigan - Assis Ecological Station