Solving problems involving the distribution of a species of unknown distribution via ecological niche modeling

Unlike species with widespread distributions, few predictive models have been constructed for species with restricted or unknown distributions. One example of such a poorly studied species is Aristolochia gigantea, for which very conflicting information has been reported regarding its distribution. In this study, we present A. gigantea's distribution and range, the environmental factors responsible for its distribution and comments about the information available in the existing literature. The model of A. gigantea's distribution identified new areas that can be surveyed to potentially find new populations, and our results reinforce the importance of predictive models for studying the distributions of species, suggesting that ecological niche modeling can provide important contributions to the analysis of biogeographic patterns in little-studied plant species. (C) 2015 Associacao Brasileira de Ciencia Ecologica e Conservacao. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.