Look for complete geospatial metadata in this layer's associated xml document available from the download link


Communities of species are the result of a wide array of environmental
factors, and these assemblages interact, are interdependent to different
degrees, and perform a range of critical ecosystem functions and services.
This element reflects community conditions pertaining to species composition
and co-occurrence and the implications for performing and maintaining
ecosystem functions and services.

Eleven metrics are described in the community integrity element: habitat
connectivity, present day connectivity in California (omniscape), and nine
functional group richness metrics. Functional group richness was used to
represent the current condition of the community integrity element.

* Metric Name: Element Representation: Community Integrity   

* Type and distribution of data: -1 to +1 condition score  

* Translation: Where is community integrity greatest?  

* Translation method and outcome: Raw data values translated to range from +1 to -1 representing more favorable to less favorable conditions, respectively. **** The proposition of more favorable is based on the objective of supporting higher community integrity. The conditions scores for the six functional groups are averaged to derive the condition score for the community integrity element. More favorable (translated to +1) represents locations where functional group richness is high across most or all functional groups (positive linear slope), less favorable (translated to -1) represents locations where functional group richness is low across most or all functional groups.