Geographic risk assessment reveals spatial variation in invasion potential of exotic reptiles in an invasive species hotspot
Invasive species are among the primary threats to biodiversity and risk assessment is one problem-solving approach that can prioritize and guide efforts to reduce the negative consequences of invasion. We used a nichemodeling framework to conduct a geographic risk assessment of exotic reptiles in the state of Florida, USA, a region with the highest density of invasive herpetofaunal species in the world. We then compared model predictions with observed records of exotic species across the state. We compiled georeferenced native occurrence locations of exotic reptile species found in Florida and used maximum entropy modeling with global-scale environmental data as inputs.