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Despite recent calls to make geographical analyses more reproducible, formal attempts to reproduce or replicate published work remain largely absent from the geographic literature. The reproductions of geographic research that do exist typically focus on computational reproducibility—whether results can be recreated using data and code provided by the authors—rather than on evaluating the conclusion and internal validity and evidential value of the original analysis. However, knowing if a study is computationally reproducible is insufficient if the goal of a reproduction is to identify and correct errors in our knowledge. We argue that reproductions of geographic work should focus on assessing whether the findings and claims made in existing empirical studies are well supported by the evidence presented. We aim to facilitate this transition by introducing a model framework for conducting reproduction studies, demonstrating its use, and reporting the findings of three exemplar studies. We present three model reproductions of geographical analyses of COVID‐19 based on a common, open access template. Each reproduction attempt is published as an open access repository, complete with pre‐analysis plan, data, code, and final report. We find each study to be partially reproducible, but moving past computational reproducibility, our assessments reveal conceptual and methodological concerns that raise questions about the predictive value and the magnitude of the associations presented in each study. Collectively, these reproductions and our template materials offer a practical framework others can use to reproduce and replicate empirical spatial analyses and ultimately facilitate the identification and correction of errors in the geographic literature. 

The recently described crustose calcifying red algal species Ramicrusta hawaiiensis, known only from mesophotic depths off Lehua Island, west of Kaua’i Island, was found in shallow benthic reef habitats (3-18 m deep) along the western coast of Hawai’i Island. Molecular and microscopy techniques were used for genetic confirmation and for detailed morphological and anatomical examination. Two independent benthic cover survey datasets collected from west Hawai’i Island were used to investigate temporal and geographic distribution of Ramicrusta . In both datasets, we report Ramicrusta at approximately 60% of the sites surveyed. Benthic cover for this alga varies among sites and among years and its presence in west Hawai’i is evident since at least 2003. These findings help to document Hawaiian coral reef ecosystem change and benthic community composition reshuffling. This study also emphasizes the critical importance of taxonomy and proper identification of macroalgal species to understand the potential for phase-shifts of dominant taxa in coral reef ecosystems after environmental disturbances and fluctuations in abiotic factors. In the last decade, members of the red algal order Peyssonneliales have increased in abundance and overgrown other benthic species in reef ecosystems in the Caribbean and tropical Pacific. The novel aspect of finding abundant Ramicrusta in much shallower water than originally described, the decadal presence of Ramicrusta , and its potential for competition with other benthic organisms make this research valuable to coral reef ecology and justify further investigation of Ramicrusta ecology and biology in the Hawaiian Islands and globally.