Species Distribution Modelling with Bayesian Statistics (SDMB08) – Applications for Evolutionary Biology https://prstats.org/course/species-distribution-modelling-with-bayesian-statistics-sdmb08/ Delivered by Dr Márcia Barbosa, a biogeographer and macroecologist with extensive experience in species distribution modelling, GIS and ecological modelling, with a particular focus on open, transparent and reproducible analytical workflows. Learn how to build, evaluate and interpret species distribution and ecological niche models using Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) in R, providing a flexible Bayesian approach for investigating relationships between species occurrences and environmental conditions. For evolutionary biologists, species distribution and ecological niche models provide important tools for investigating environmental niches, geographic distributions, environmental associations and spatial patterns across species and populations. These approaches can complement evolutionary and biogeographic research examining how environmental conditions relate to observed distributions. What you'll gain An understanding of species distribution and ecological niche modelling An introduction to Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) Practical experience fitting Bayesian distribution models in R Working with species occurrence and climatic/environmental variables Selecting appropriate spatial resolution and geographic extent Computing and fine-tuning BART models to predict geographic distributions Interpreting posterior predictions, credible intervals and uncertainty Evaluating and cross-validating models Quantifying environmental variable importance Selecting relevant environmental predictors Producing partial dependence plots and maps Developing reproducible workflows that can be adapted to participants' own species and research questions Course format 3-day live, instructor-led online course 12 hours of training Lectures combined with hands-on practical exercises in R Complete worked example from data preparation through to model interpretation Annotated R scripts that participants can adapt to their own species Opportunity to discuss participants' own data Code, datasets and presentation materials provided All sessions recorded 30 days of recording access and post-course email support Who is this course for? Evolutionary biologists Evolutionary ecologists Biogeographers and macroecologists Researchers studying species niches and geographic distributions Researchers investigating environmental associations across species or populations Conservation and biodiversity researchers Researchers interested in integrating spatial and environmental information into evolutionary studies Postgraduate students and early-career researchers Participants should already be familiar with the concept of species distribution models (SDMs) or ecological niche models (ENMs) and have some basic experience using R. No previous knowledge of Bayesian statistics is required. Why take this course? Understanding where species occur — and how their distributions relate to environmental conditions — is important across evolutionary ecology, biogeography and biodiversity research. Species distribution and ecological niche models allow researchers to quantify these relationships and explore geographic variation in environmental suitability. Bayesian Additive Regression Trees offer a flexible approach for modelling potentially complex species–environment relationships. The method can generate predictions while also allowing researchers to map the uncertainty and credible intervals associated with local predictions. The course goes beyond simply fitting a distribution model. Participants learn how to make decisions about spatial extent and resolution, evaluate predictive performance, cross-validate models, assess variable importance and examine partial responses to environmental predictors. These skills are particularly useful when distribution modelling forms part of a broader investigation into species' environmental niches, biogeography or spatial patterns of biodiversity. Whether you're studying species distributions, ecological niches, biogeography, environmental associations, biodiversity patterns or evolutionary ecology, this course provides practical training in applying Bayesian methods to spatial species data. Course dates 6–8 October 2026 14:00–18:00 UK time 12 hours | Live online | £385 Learn more & enrol https://prstats.org/course/species-distribution-modelling-with-bayesian-statistics-sdmb08/ Questions? Email: oliver@prstats.org (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to evoldir@evoldir.net)