Open-Source Software Integration: A Tutorial on Species Distribution Mapping and Ecological Niche Modelling

Over the last decade, access to global data has become increasingly critical for research, allowing insights into diverse biological, environmental, and societal questions at a macro scale. Digitization has greatly enhanced the use of herbarium data in the analysis of species distribution data and ecological niche modeling. Yet, sources on modeling and mapping methodology using open source software is greatly lacking for beginners. We have created a replicable and thorough tutorial to visualize species occurrence data and exploratory analysis that was developed by undergraduates with broad backgrounds and levels of expereince. This tutorial integrates the open-source programs QGIS, MaxEnt, and R to develop distribution maps, using bryophytes as a case study, to promote the accessibility of open source software and remote access learning. This tutorial has already set the foundation for further research into distribution modeling of rare Illinois bryophytes to better understand the potential impact of climate change.