The article by Jorge Soberón and Miguel Nakamura discusses the conceptual issues in ecological niche modeling (ENM), a field that estimates the actual and potential distributional areas of species. They argue for adopting restricted definitions of "niche" to enhance conceptual clarity, focusing on Grinnellian niches, which are based on noninteractive, nonconsumable scenopoetic variables. The authors clarify the concepts of fundamental, potential, and realized niches and distributional areas, and address the term "niche conservatism," proposing ways to measure it. They highlight the importance of considering biotic interactions in ENM and discuss the role of different types of absences in modeling algorithms. The article also explores the Eltonian Noise Hypothesis, suggesting that competitive interactions may not significantly affect distributions at coarse scales. Finally, they emphasize the need to explicitly state the ecological and mathematical assumptions of modeling methods to better interpret the results of niche modeling exercises.The article by Jorge Soberón and Miguel Nakamura discusses the conceptual issues in ecological niche modeling (ENM), a field that estimates the actual and potential distributional areas of species. They argue for adopting restricted definitions of "niche" to enhance conceptual clarity, focusing on Grinnellian niches, which are based on noninteractive, nonconsumable scenopoetic variables. The authors clarify the concepts of fundamental, potential, and realized niches and distributional areas, and address the term "niche conservatism," proposing ways to measure it. They highlight the importance of considering biotic interactions in ENM and discuss the role of different types of absences in modeling algorithms. The article also explores the Eltonian Noise Hypothesis, suggesting that competitive interactions may not significantly affect distributions at coarse scales. Finally, they emphasize the need to explicitly state the ecological and mathematical assumptions of modeling methods to better interpret the results of niche modeling exercises.