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Volume 32, Number 7—July 2026
Research
Predictive Approach to Mapping Angiostrongylus cantonensis Nematode Distribution, Canary Islands, Spain
Table 1
Percent contribution and permutation importance of environmental variables retained in a predictive approach to mapping Angiostrongylus cantonensis nematode distribution, Canary Islands, Spain*
| Variable | % Contribution | Permutation |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation seasonality | 52.1 | 9.6 |
| Mean annual temperature | 18.1 | 49.8 |
| Topographic wetness index | 10.4 | 9.4 |
| Terrain ruggedness index | 9.5 | 20.3 |
| Tree cover density, 2018 | 8.4 | 0.9 |
| Mean NDVI (SD), 2022 | 0.8 (0.5) | 1.6 (0.4) |
| Temperature seasonality | 0.4 | 7.9 |
*Predictions of habitat suitability (probability of occurrence) were made in MaxEnt mode on the basis of data from A. cantonensis field surveys conducted on Tenerife in 2022. We used bioclimatic variables from the CHELSA database (https://www.chelsa-climate.org) for 1981–2010 (37), including annual mean temperature in degrees Celsius (bio1), temperature seasonality (bio4), annual precipitation in kilograms per square meter (bio12), and precipitation seasonality (bio15). NDVI, normalized difference vegetation index.
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