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Plot the spatial sampling simulation (domain, individuals, quadrats, optional gradient)

Source: R/plot_spatial_sampling.R
plot_spatial_sampling.Rd

Creates a publication‑quality map of the simulated landscape. The domain outline is drawn first; simulated individuals (POINT geometries) are overlaid and colored by species; sampling quadrats (POLYGONs) are drawn with IDs. Optionally an environmental raster/heat field is shown underneath for context.

Usage

plot_spatial_sampling(
  domain,
  species,
  quadrats,
  P,
  show_gradient = FALSE,
  env_gradients = NULL,
  gradient_type = "temperature_C"
)

Arguments

domain

An sf polygon or multipolygon representing the study area. Geometry should be valid and in the same CRS as species and quadrats.

species

An sf POINT object of individuals with a character/factor column named species. All points must lie within domain for correct visual interpretation (the function does not clip).

quadrats

An sf POLYGON/MULTIPOLYGON object with a numeric/integer column quadrat_id. Quadrats are drawn as outlines and labeled at their centroids.

P

A named list of plotting/summary parameters. The following fields are read if present (each has a default if missing):

  • POINT_SIZE (numeric, default 0.2) — point size for individuals,

  • POINT_ALPHA (numeric in \((0,1)\), default 1) — point transparency,

  • QUADRAT_COLOUR (character, default “black”) — quadrat outline/label colour,

  • BACKGROUND_COLOUR (character, default “white”) — plot background,

  • FOREGROUND_COLOUR (character, default ”#22223b”) — domain outline/title colour,

  • N_SPECIES (integer) — used to size the palette; inferred from data if absent,

  • N_INDIVIDUALS (integer) — used only for the subtitle count if available.

show_gradient

Logical; if TRUE, an environmental surface is drawn beneath the geometries using geom_raster(). Default FALSE.

env_gradients

Required when show_gradient = TRUE. A data frame with columns x, y (grid coordinates, in the same CRS units as domain) and one or more numeric columns representing environmental variables (e.g., temperature_C, elevation_m, rainfall_mm). The column named by gradient_type must exist and be numeric.

gradient_type

Character scalar naming the column in env_gradients to plot when show_gradient = TRUE. Default “temperature_C”. The legend title is derived from this name (underscores replaced with spaces and title‑cased).

Value

A ggplot object that can be further modified (themes, scales, etc.).

Details

Colors for species are drawn from colorspace sequential_hcl palette “RdPu” (reversed) and mapped to the unique species present. All layers are plotted in the current display CRS of the provided sf objects; ensure consistent CRS across inputs. When show_gradient = TRUE, the raster is drawn first with partial transparency so the domain outline and points remain visible.

See also

run_spatial_simulation(), create_sampling_domain(), create_environmental_gradients()

Examples