Distinguishing pairwise species spatial associations from multi‐species distribution patterns

Abstract To understand species coexistence, measuring between‐species co‐distributional patterns is valuable. In the present study, we distinguished and separated pairwise species spatial associations (including between‐species distribution co‐occurrence and segregation) from multispecies distributional patterns (including aggregation, randomness and overdispersion) by developing and applying statistical methods that are related to the first nearest neighbour distance (NND). The proposed one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional NND metrics allow ecologists to conduct hypothesis testing on empirical biodiversity data collected via spatially constrained line transect sampling and extensive area surveys, respectively. The application of the proposed metrics on the spatial distribution patterns of common wild frogs in SW China showed that amphibian individuals from different species presented co‐occurring distributional aggregation in both suburban and remote hotspot areas. In summary, our study takes a step forward in clarifying and distinguishing between‐species co‐occurrence and segregation effects from multispecies distributional patterns. All statistics for conducting hypothesis testing on interspecific distributional associations versus multispecies distributional aggregation levels using line‐transect sampling‐based or quadrat sampling‐based biodiversity data were available in the R code of the for immediate application.