Bioclimatic and spatial analysis of Ontario reptiles and amphibians

This paper presents the results of a bioclimatic and spatial analysis of reptiles and amphibians native to Ontario. Using a large database of known observations and a new spatially explicit climate model of the entire province, climatic domains of 43 species and subspecies were derived and subsequently mapped. A useful aspect of the analysis is that it not only explicitly summarizes what is currently known about species occurrences, it also identifies those parts of the province which have a similar climate. This will assist in designing field survey and monitoring programs and ecological restoration activities. By overlaying each of the 43 maps in a Geographic Information System, regions of the province with potentially large species gradients were identified. These areas are currently the focus of ongoing field studies.