Species Distribution Modelling of Rare Insect Species in North Dakota (SWG T-47-R)

There are a number of insect species that might be of conservation concern given apparent rarity, declining population sizes, or habitat loss and fragmentation. In general, insect species are understudied in North Dakota and many of the species that might be added to the Species of Conservation Priority lists are often hard to study in the field due to limited times when they are active as adults, cryptic coloring and/or habits, and difficulties in capturing specimens for study. Given these challenges, it is vital that we have some idea where these species might occur in the state of North Dakota in order to focus the intensive sampling necessary to get good data to determine if species are sufficiently at risk. Upon completion, this project will provide maps giving the probability of occurrence for a particular species across the state of North Dakota.