Kunin (1998)[2] presented a log-log linear SPO and suggested a fractal nature for species distributions.
[9] One important application of the SPO in ecology is to estimate species abundance based on presence-absence data, or occupancy alone.
Using a dipswitch test consisting of 5 subtests and 15 criteria, Hui et al.[11] confirmed that using the SPO is robust and reliable for assemblage-scale regional abundance estimation.
The other application of SPOs includes trends identification in populations, which is extremely valuable for biodiversity conservation.
For the Bayesian estimation model, Hui et al.[19] provide the following formula to describe the SPO and join-count statistics of spatial autocorrelation: where Ω = p(a)0 − q(a)0/+p(a)+ and
The probability of species extinction and ecosystem collapse increases rapidly as range size declines.
In risk assessment protocols such as the IUCN Red List of Species or the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, area of occupancy (AOO) is used as a standardized, complementary and widely applicable measure of risk spreading against spatially explicit threats.