ABSTRACT
Ecological research has yet to take full advantage of opportunities provided by spatial analytical tools and modelling capabilities linked to geographic information systems (GIS). Some of the tools available (GIS, spatial analysis and ecological modelling) and the opportunities they present are reviewed from the perspective of the relevance and value of the outputs provided for a range of ecological research and environmental management applications. The tools allow questions concerning processes operating at different spatial scales to be addressed, and offer potential for gaining new insights into ecological relationships through detailed analysis of extensive databases stored and managed in GIS. This chapter presents issues associated with ecological and environmental data quality and the use of spatial analysis for converting data into information. Case studies are used to illustrate: (I) the use of GIS for process-based modelling of impacts of climate change on global, national and regional distribution of flora and fauna by generating spatial (geographic) and ecological hypotheses from automated investigation of databases, and (2) the application of landscape ecology principles in GIS for analysis of relationships among spatial heterogeneity, scale and the ecology of different taxa.
