Geographical distribution of plant species

Objective: The dataset consists of a database of all plant species available in North America (states in continental USA + Canada provinces). For each plant it is known (for each US state and each Canadian province) whether it is present or not (binary data). Assuming that the distribution of plant species reflects the climatic characteristics of the various geographical areas (e.g. plants with similar distribution will have similar climatic needs), the goal is to identify the main climatic areas of North America. Method: Apply factor analysis techniques (PCA, FA, ICA) to the data. Using Matlab tools for geographic data processing (Mapping Toolbox), visualize the principal components/factors as colors on the map. Interpret the results in terms of North-American climatic regions. Bonus: Use cluster analysis to analyze the same data. Are there clusters? How can they be interpreted? Data: http://archive.ics.uci.edu/ml/datasets/Plants