On the importance of edaphic variables to predict plant species distributions - limits and prospects.

Although the importance of edaphic parameters on plant growth and survival is known, they are rarely incorporated as predictors in plant' species distribution models (SDM). Dubuis et al., in this issue, show they may improve the performance of plant SDMs in Alpine ecosystems. It paves the way for more comprehensive assessments of the values of including edaphic variables into SDMs.