Predicting Potential Invasive Species Distribution: An Application to New Zealand Mudsnails in the Pacific Northwest

Invasive species have become a major concern for researchers, private industries, and policymakers. From the respect of deriving effective and efficient management to invasive species, the risk assessment of invasive species is a necessary and reliable starting point. In this study, we will employ a gravity model and a maximum entropy method to estimate the relative risk of New Zealand mudsnails in the Pacific Northwest. This study will not only give an insight of integrated risk assessment models considering anthropogenic and ecological factors together, but also provide an empirical implication for relative risk of New Zealand mudsnail distribution in a spatial context.