Component Loadings on the 10 Variables

The third component accounted for 7% of the variance in the data set and was strongly loaded on salamanders (positive and pink in the illustration below) and modestly loaded negatively on lizards (blue area below) much at all on salamanders at all (see illustration above). Grid cells with high scores (pink below) should be characterized by above average salamander species richness while gird cells with negative scores (blue) should contribute to above average lizard species richness. The climate associated with this salamander biodiversity pattern (pink colors) has the following attributes (see illustration above): high solar radiation load, just average annual precipitation, above average winter precipitation, many months of continental tropical air (western area of pink below) and many maritime tropical air (eastern pink area below), high elevation and relatively cool. Elevation loving salamanders contribute to this component of salamander biodiversity.

Pattern of Component Scores