Spatio-temporal variation in potential habitats for rare and endangered plants and habitat conservation based on the maximum entropy model

Host tree availability shapes potential distribution of a target epiphytic moss species more than direct climate effects

Climate change significantly impacts the distribution of woody plants, indirectly influencing the dynamics of entire ecosystems. Understanding species' varied responses to the environment and their reliance on biotic interactions is crucial for predicting the global changes' impact on woodland biodiversity. Our study focusses on Dicranum viride, a moss of conservation priority, and its dependence on specific phorophytes (host trees). Using species distribution modelling (SDM) techniques, we initially modelled its distribution using climate-only variables. As a novel approach, we also modelled the distribution of the main phorophyte species and incorporated them into D. viride SDM alongside climate data. Finally, we analysed the overlap of climatic and geographic niches between the epiphyte and the phorophytes. Inclusion of biotic interactions significantly improved model performance, with phorophyte availability emerging as the primary predictor. This underscores the significance of epiphyte-phorophyte interactions, supported by substantial niche overlap. Predictions indicate a potential decline in the suitability of most of the current areas for D. viride, with noticeable shifts towards the northern regions of Europe. Our study underscores the importance of incorporating biotic interactions into SDMs, especially for dependent organisms. Understanding such connections is essential to implement successful conservation strategies and adapt forest management practices to environmental changes.

Response to Climate Change and GAP Analysis of Thuja koraiensis Nakai

Due to global warming and increased human activity, the wild population of Thuja koraiensis Nakai (T. koraiensis) has dropped, placing it in danger. An understanding of the response of T. koraiensis to climate change and the determination of priority conservation areas are tremendously critical for proper conservation. Using sixty-nine T. koraiensis distribution points and seven environmental factors, the Maxent model was used to predict potentially suitable areas and spatial variation patterns of T. koraiensis and the Marxan conservation planning model was used to evaluate conservation gap areas. Research shows that the dominant environmental factors affecting the distribution of potentially suitable areas for T. koraiensis included elevation, precipitation of the driest month, isothermality and precipitation of the wettest quarter. Under the current climatic conditions, highly suitable areas for T. koraiensis are mainly distributed in the Changbai Mountains within Samjiyon County and Baishan City, the Hamgyong Mountains within the western part of Hamgyong-Bukto Province, and the T'aeback-Sanmaek Mountains within Gangwon-do, Kumgangsan Special Administrative Region and Kangwon-do. Under future climate conditions, suitable areas for T. koraiensis show a decreasing trend, and the suitable area will be reduced to higher elevations, and the Hamgyong Mountains may become a refuge. Based on GAP analysis, 69.69% of the priority conservation areas of T. koraiensis are located outside of the nature reserve, and these conservation gap areas are primarily in the southern part of the Changbai Mountains and Kangwon-do.

Potential distribution patterns and species richness of avifauna in rapidly urbanizing East China

In recent years, increased species extinction and habitat loss have significantly reduced biodiversity, posing a serious threat to both nature and human survival. Environmental factors strongly influence bird distribution and diversity. The potential distribution patterns and species richness offer a conservation modeling framework for policymakers to assess the effectiveness of natural protected areas (PAs) and optimize their existing ones. Very few such studies have been published that cover a large and complete taxonomic group with fine resolution at regional scale. Here, using birds as a study group, the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) was used to analyze the pattern of bird species richness in Jiangsu Province. Using an unparalleled amount of occurrence data, we created species distribution models (SDMs) for 312 bird species to explore emerging diversity patterns at a resolution of 1 km2. The gradient of species richness is steep, decreasing sharply away from water bodies, particularly in the northern part of Jiangsu Province. The migratory status and feeding habits of birds also significantly influence the spatial distribution of avian species richness. This study reveals that the regions with high potential bird species richness are primarily distributed in three areas: the eastern coastal region, the surrounding area of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the surrounding area of Taihu Lake. Compared with species richness hotspots and existing PAs, we found that the majority of hotspots are well-protected. However, only a small portion of the regions, such as coastal areas of Sheyang County in Yancheng City, as well as some regions along the Yangtze River in Nanjing and Zhenjiang, currently have relatively weak protection. Using stacked SDMs, our study reveals effective insights into diversity patterns, directly informing conservation policies and contributing to macroecological research advancements.

Potential impacts of climate change on the geographic distribution of Achillea eriophora DC., a medicinal species endemic to Iran in southwestern Asia

Climate change is considered to rank among the most important global issues affecting species' geographic distributions and biodiversity. Understanding effects of climate change on species can enhance conservation efficacy. In this study, we applied ecological niche modeling (ENM) using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) approaches to predict the potential geographic distribution of Achillea eriophora DC., a medicinal plant species to Iran in southwestern Asia, under current and future climate scenarios. We evaluated potential distributional areas of the species, under two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) for the period 2041-2060. Most current potential suitable areas were identified for A. eriophora in montane regions. Our results anticipated that the potential distribution of A. eriophora will expand geographically toward higher elevations and northward. However, the species is expected to experience relatively high losses of suitability in its actual habitats under future climate scenarios. Consequently, we recommend regional-to-national conservation action plans for A. eriophora in its natural habitats.

Distribution Pattern of Suitable Areas and Corridor Identification of Endangered Ephedra Species in China

The suitable habitat of endangered Ephedra species has been severely threatened and affected by climate change and anthropogenic activities; however, their migration trends and restoration strategies are still relatively understudied. In this study, we utilized the MaxEnt model to simulate the suitable habitats of five endangered Ephedra species in China under current and future climate scenarios. Additionally, we identified significant ecological corridors by incorporating the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. Under the current climate scenario, the suitable area of Ephedra equisetina Bunge, Ephedra intermedia Schrenk ex Mey, Ephedra sinica Stapf, and Ephedra monosperma Gmel ex Mey comprised 16% of the area in China, while Ephedra rhytidosperma Pachom comprised only 0.05%. The distribution patterns of these five Ephedra species were primarily influenced by altitude, salinity, temperature, and precipitation. Under future climate scenarios, the suitable areas of E. equisetina, E. intermedia, and E. sinica are projected to expand, while that of E. monosperma is expected to contract. Notably, E. rhytidosperma will lose its suitable area in the future. Our identified ecological corridors showed that the first-level corridors encompassed a wider geographical expanse, incorporating E. equisetina, E. intermedia, E. sinica, and E. monosperma, while that of E. rhytidosperma exhibited a shorter length and covered fewer geographical areas. Overall, our study provides novel insights into identifying priority protected areas and protection strategies targeting endangered Ephedra species.

Population genetic variation and geographic distribution of suitable areas of Coptis species in China

Introduction

The rhizomes of Coptis plants have been used in traditional Chinese medicine over 2000 years. Due to increasing market demand, the overexploitation of wild populations, habitat degradation and indiscriminate artificial cultivation of Coptis species have severely damaged the native germplasms of species in China.

Methods

Genome-wide simple-sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed using the genomic data of C. chinensis. Population genetic diversity and structure of 345 Coptis accessions collected from 32 different populations were performed based on these SSRs. The distribution of suitable areas for three taxa in China was predicted and the effects of environmental variables on genetic diversity in relation to different population distributions were further analyzed.

Results

22 primer pairs were selected as clear, stable, and polymorphic SSR markers. These had an average of 16.41 alleles and an average polymorphism information content (PIC) value of 0.664. In the neighbor-joining (N-J) clustering analysis, the 345 individuals clustered into three groups, with C. chinensis, C. chinensis var. brevisepala and C. teeta being clearly separated. All C. chinensis accessions were further divided into four subgroups in the population structure analysis. The predicted distributions of suitable areas and the environmental variables shaping these distributions varied considerably among the three species.

Discussion

Overall, the amount of solar radiation, precipitation and altitude were the most important environmental variables influencing the distribution and genetic variation of three species. The findings will provide key information to guide the conservation of genetic resources and construction of a core reserve for species.

Environmental factors influencing potential distribution of Schisandra sphenanthera and its accumulation of medicinal components

Schisandrae Sphenantherae Fructus (SSF), the dry ripe fruit of Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils., is a traditional Chinese medicine with wide application potential. The quality of SSF indicated by the composition and contents of secondary metabolites is closely related to environmental factors, such as regional climate and soil conditions. The aims of this study were to predict the distribution patterns of potentially suitable areas for S. sphenanthera in China and pinpoint the major environmental factors influencing its accumulation of medicinal components. An optimized maximum entropy model was developed and applied under current and future climate scenarios (SSP1-RCP2.6, SSP3-RCP7, and SSP5-RCP8.5). Results show that the total suitable areas for S. sphenanthera (179.58×104 km2) cover 18.71% of China's territory under the current climatic conditions (1981-2010). Poorly, moderately, and highly suitable areas are 119.00×104 km2, 49.61×104 km2, and 10.98×104 km2, respectively. The potentially suitable areas for S. sphenanthera are predicted to shrink and shift westward under the future climatic conditions (2041-2070 and 2071-2100). The areas of low climate impact are located in southern Shaanxi, northwestern Guizhou, southeastern Chongqing, and western Hubei Provinces (or Municipality), which exhibit stable and high suitability under different climate scenarios. The contents of volatile oils, lignans, and polysaccharides in SSF are correlated with various environmental factors. The accumulation of major secondary metabolites is primarily influenced by temperature variation, seasonal precipitation, and annual precipitation. This study depicts the potential distribution of S. sphenanthera in China and its spatial change in the future. Our findings decipher the influence of habitat environment on the geographical distribution and medicinal quality of S. sphenanthera, which could have great implications for natural resource conservation and artificial cultivation.

Can highway tunnel constructıon change the habitat selection of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758)?

One of the main things wildlife does for survival is movement. Wild animals need movement to meet their needs, such as reproduction, breeding, foraging, and dispersal. Although wildlife species use roads for various purposes, they also use them when moving from one habitat to another. In recent years, especially when it comes to habitat fragmentation brought about by urbanization, wild animals frequently use highways. Highways have a wide range of effects on factors such as biodiversity, wildlife, and ecology. Roads can cause habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and habitat degradation; alter the composition of vegetation; act as barriers to the flow of genes and movement; increase human access to pristine areas; and even increase the risk of extinction for many threatened species. Species belonging to the family Cervidae also include the species most affected by road networks. Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758) is the smallest of the 3 Cervid species living in Turkey. Roe deer are often injured or die in road accidents, and they are one of the most important species affected by the adverse effects of roads in Turkey. For this reason, it was investigated whether the road tunnel construction affected the distribution of roe deer in the region. In the study, the general distribution of roe deer in the Ilgaz Mountain, and the factors affecting their possible distribution were determined by ecological niche modeling. Data were taken between before (2012-2015) and after the highway tunnel built (2020-2022) in Ilgaz Mountain, which connects the Western Black Sea and Central Anatolia and is located in the middle of Kastamonu and Çankırı provinces. As a result of the modeling, it was found that before the construction of the tunnel, the most influential factor in the distribution of the deer was road density. After the tunnel construction, roads ceased to be the main factor affecting the distribution of the species. This study showed that roe deer are disturbed by the density of vehicles on the road passing through the middle of their habitat. With the decrease in the number of vehicles, they are more willing to cross the road and tend to use the areas close to the road as they are less disturbed.

Spatial heterogeneity analysis of matching degree between endangered plant diversity and ecosystem services in Xishuangbanna

Biodiversity and ecosystem services (ESs) are closely linked. Human activities have caused critical damage to the habitat and ecosystem function of organisms, leading to decline in global biodiversity and ecosystem services. To ensure sustainable development of local ecological environments, it is critical to analyze the spatial matching degree of biodiversity and ESs and identify ecologically vulnerable areas. Taking Xishuangbanna, southern China, as an example, we constructed a pixel-scale matching degree index to analyze the spatial matching degree of endangered plant diversity (EPD) and four ESs and classified the matching degree into low-low, low-high, high-low, and high-high four types. The results revealed a mismatch relationship of EPD and ESs in more than 70% of areas. Under the influence of altitude and land use/land cover (LULC) type, the matching degree of EPD and ESs showed obvious spatial heterogeneity. In low-altitude areas in the south of Xishuangbanna, EPD and ESs mainly showed mismatch, while high-altitude areas in the west had a better match. Natural forest was the main land cover in which EPD and ESs showed high-high match and its areal proportion was much larger than that of rubber plantation, tea plantation, and cropland. Our findings also stress the need to concentrate conservation efforts on areas exhibiting a low-low match relationship, indicative of potential ecological vulnerability. The pixel-scale spatial matching degree analysis framework developed in this study for EPD and ESs provides high-resolution maps with 30 m × 30 m pixel size, which can support the implementation of ecological protection measures and policy formulation, and has a wide range of applicability. This study provides valuable insights for the sustainable management of biodiversity and ESs, contributing to the strengthening of local ecological environment protection.

Estimating the Climate Niche of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Using Maximum Entropy Modeling

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a fungal pathogen, causes world-wide crop losses and additional disease management strategies are needed. Modeling the climate niche of this fungus may offer a tool for the selection of biological control organisms and cultural methods of control. Maxent, a modeling technique, was used to characterize the climate niche for the fungus. The technique requires disease occurrence data, bioclimatic data layers, and geospatial analysis. A cross-correlation was performed with ArcGIS 10.8.1, to reduce nineteen bioclimatic variables (WorldClim) to nine variables. The model results were evaluated by AUC (area under the curve). A final model was created with the random seed procedure of Maxent and gave an average AUC of 0.935 with an AUC difference of -0.008. The most critical variables included annual precipitation (importance: 14.1%) with a range of 450 mm to 2500 mm and the mean temperature of the coldest quarter (importance: 55.6%) with a range of -16 °C to 24 °C, which contributed the most to the final model. A habitat suitability map was generated in ArcGIS 10.8.1 from the final Maxent model. The final model was validated by comparing results with another occurrence dataset. A Z-Score statistical test confirmed no significant differences between the two datasets for all suitability areas.

Distribution pattern and change prediction of Phellodendron habitat in China under climate change

Phellodendron has always been of great significance in promoting human health and ecological restoration. However, human activities and climate change have severely affected habitat, population dynamics and sustainable use of Phellodendron. Little is known about the geographical distribution pattern and their responses to climate change of Phellodendron. In order to reveal the impact of climate change on Phellodendron, we conducted a study based on natural distribution data of two species (297 occurrence points), 20 environmental factors, and an optimized MaxEnt model. Our results identified the main environmental factors influencing Phellodendron, predicted their potential geographical distribution, and assessed migration trends under climate change in China. Our analysis showed that Ph. amurense and Ph. chinense have potential suitable habitats of 62.89 × 104 and 70.71 × 104 km2, respectively. Temperature and precipitation were found to play an essential role in shaping the present geographical distribution of Phellodendron populations. Based on two future climate scenarios, we forecasted that the potential suitable habitat of Ph. amurense would decrease by 12.52% (SSP245) and increase by 25.28% (SSP585), while Ph. chinense would decline by 19.61% (SSP245) and 15.78% (SSP585) in the late-21st century. The potential suitable habitats of Ph. amurense and Ph. chinense would shift to northward and westward, respectively. Hydrothermal change was found to be the primary driver of the suitable habitat of Phellodendron populations in the future. We recommend establishing nature reserves for existing Phellodendron populations, especially Ph. chinense. Our study provided a practical framework for the impact of climate change on the suitable habitat of Phellodendron species and guided regional cultivation, long-term conservation, and sustainable use.

Impact of climate change on the geographical distribution and niche dynamics of Gastrodia elata

Background

Gastrodia elata is widely used in China as a valuable herbal medicine. Owing to its high medicinal and nutrient value, wild resources of G. elata have been overexploited and its native areas have been severely damaged. Understanding the impacts of climate change on the distribution of this endangered species is important for the conservation and sustainable use of G. elata.

Methods

We used the optimized maximum entropy model to simulate the potential distribution of G. elata under contemporary and future time periods (1970-2000, 2050s, 2070s, and 2090s) and different climate change scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5). Under these conditions, we investigated the key environmental factors influencing the distribution of G. elata as well as the spatial and temporal characteristics of its niche dynamics.

Results

With high Maxent model accuracy (AUCmean = 0.947 ± 0.012, and the Kappa value is 0.817), our analysis revealed that annual precipitation, altitude, and mean temperature of driest quarter are the most important environmental factors influencing the distribution of G. elata. Under current bioclimatic conditions, the potentially suitable area for G. elata in China is 71.98 × 10⁴ km², while the highly suitable region for G. elata growth is 7.28 × 10⁴ km². Our models for three future periods under four climate change scenarios indicate that G. elata can maintain stable distributions in southern Shaanxi, southwestern Hubei, and around the Sichuan basin, as these areas are highly suitable for its growth. However, the center of the highly suitable areas of G. elata shift depending on different climatic scenarios. The values of niche overlap for G. elata show a decreasing trend over the forecasted periods, of which the niche overlap under the SSP3-7.0 scenario shows the greatest decrease.

Discussions

Under the condition of global climate change in the future, our study provides basic reference data for the conservation and sustainable utilization of the valuable and endangered medicinal plant G. elata. It is important to carefully choose the protection area of G. elata wild resources according the suitable area conditions modeled. Moreover, these findings will be valuable for providing insights into the breeding and artificial cultivation of this plant, including the selection of suitable areas for planting.

Identifying the potential soil pollution areas derived from the metal mining industry in China using MaxEnt with mine reserve scales (MaxEnt_MRS)

Identifying the potential soil pollution areas derived from the metal mining industry usually requires extensive field investigation and laboratory analysis. Moreover, the previous studies mainly focused on a single or a few mining areas, and thus couldn't provide effective spatial decision support for controlling soil pollution derived from the metal mining industry at the national scale. This study first conducted a literature investigation and web crawler for the relevant information on the metal mining areas in China. Next, MaxEnt with mine reserve scales (MaxEnt_MRS) was proposed for spatially predicting the probabilities of soil pollution derived from the metal mining industry in China. Then, MaxEnt_MRS was compared with the basic MaxEnt. Last, the potential soil pollution areas were identified based on the pollution probabilities, and the relationships between the soil pollution probabilities and the main environmental factors were quantitatively assessed. The results showed that: (i) MaxEnt_MRS (AUC = 0.822) obtained a better prediction effect than the basic MaxEnt (AUC = 0.807); (ii) the areas with the soil pollution probabilities higher than 54% were mainly scattered in the eastern, south-western, and south-central parts of China; (iii) GDP (45.7%), population density (30.1%), soil types (15.5%), average annual precipitation (3.9%), and land-use types (3.1%) contributed the most to the prediction of the soil pollution probabilities; and (iv) the soil pollution probabilities in the areas with all the following conditions were higher than 54%: GDP, 7600-2612670 thousand yuan/km²; population density, 152-551 people/km²; precipitation, 924-2869 mm/year; soil types, Ferralisols or Luvisols; and land-use types, townland, mines, and industrial areas. The above-mentioned results provided effective spatial decision support for controlling soil pollution derived from the metal mining industry at the national scale.

Food-water-land-ecosystem nexus in typical Chinese dryland under different future scenarios

Healthy coupling of the food-water-land-ecosystem (FWLE) nexus is the basis for achieving sustainable development (SD), and FWLE in drylands is frontier scientific issues in the study of coupled human land systems. To comprehensively safeguard the future food, water, and ecological security of drylands, this study examined the implications for FWLE linkages in a typical Chinese dryland from the perspective of future land-use change. First, four different land-use scenarios were proposed using a land-use simulation model with a gray multi-objective algorithm, including an SD scenario. Then, the variation of three ecosystem services was explored: water yield, food production, and habitat quality. Finally, redundancy analysis was used to derive the future drivers of FWLE and explore their causes. The following results were obtained. In the future in Xinjiang, under the business as usual scenario, urbanization will continue, forest area will decrease, and water production will decline by 371 million m³. In contrast, in the SD scenario, this negative impact will be substantially offset, water scarcity will be alleviated, and food production will increase by 1.05 million tons. In terms of drivers, the anthropogenic drivers will moderate the future urbanization of Xinjiang to some extent, with natural drivers dominating the sustainable development scenario by 2030 and a potential 22 % increase in the drivers of precipitation. This study shows how spatial optimization can help protect the sustainability of the FWLE nexus in drylands and simultaneously provides clear policy recommendations for regional development.

Mapping the biodiversity conservation gaps in the East China sea

Being one of the most productive China seas, the East China Sea is facing the challenge of unprecedented biodiversity loss and habitat degradation under the dual pressure of anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. Although marine protected areas (MPAs) are considered an effective conservation tool, it remains unclear whether existing MPAs adequately protect marine biodiversity. To investigate this issue, we first constructed a maximum entropy model to predict the distributions of 359 threatened species and identified its species richness hotspots in the East China Sea. Then we identified priority conservation areas (PCAs¹) under different protection scenarios. Since the actual conservation in the East China Sea is far from the goals proposed by Convention on Biological Diversity, we calculated a more realistic conservation goal by quantifying the relationship between the percentage of protected areas in the East China Sea and the average proportion of habitats covered for all species. Finally, we mapped conservation gaps by comparing the PCAs under the proposed goal and existing MPAs. Our results showed that these threatened species were very heterogeneously distributed, and their abundance was highest at low latitudes and in nearshore areas. The identified PCAs were distributed mainly in nearshore areas, especially in the Yangtze River estuary and along the Taiwan Strait. Based on the current distribution of threatened species, we suggest a minimum conservation goal of 20.4% of the total area of the East China Sea. Only 8.8% of the recommended PCAs are currently within the existing MPAs. We recommend expanding the MPAs in six areas to achieve the minimum conservation target. Our findings provide a solid scientific reference and a reasonable short-term target for China to realize the vision of protecting 30% of its oceans by 2030.

Climate Change May Pose Additional Threats to the Endangered Endemic Species Encalypta buxbaumioidea in China

Rare and endangered plant species (REPs) are important in biodiversity conservation, and some REPs with narrow habitats are facing serious challenges from climate change. Encalypta buxbaumioidea T. Cao, C, Gao & X, L. Bai is an endangered bryophyte species that is endemic to China. To explore the consequences of climate change on the geographic distribution of this endangered species, we used maximum entropy to predict the potential distribution of this species in China under current and three future scenarios (RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5) of two time periods (2050 and 2070) in China and assessed its conservation gaps. Twelve species occurrence sites and nine environmental variables were used in the modeling process. The results show that E. buxbaumioidea distribution is affected mainly by the annual mean temperature, isothermality, precipitation of the coldest quarter, and NDVI. According to species response curves, this species preferred habitats with annual mean temperature from −3 to 6 °C, precipitation of the coldest quarter from 14 to 77 mm, isothermality of more than 70%, and NDVI in the second quarter from 0.15 to 0.68. Currently, the most suitable habitat for this species is mainly distributed in the Qinghai–Tibet plateau, which is about 1.97 × 105 km2. The range would sharply reduce to 0.13–0.56% under future climate change. Nature reserves overlap with only 7.32% of the current distribution and would cover a much less portion of the area occupied by the species in the future scenarios, which means the current protected areas network is insufficient. Our results show that endangered bryophyte species are susceptible to environmental stress, especially climate change; therefore, the habitats of bryophytes should be taken into account when it comes to setting up protected areas.

Assessing the suitable regions and the key factors for three Cd-accumulating plants (Sedum alfredii, Phytolacca americana, and Hylotelephium spectabile) in China using MaxEnt model

Phytoremediation is an effective way to remove metals from contaminated soil, and selecting remediation plants suitable for climate conditions is a prerequisite for effective phytoremediation. In this study, a MaxEnt model was applied to investigate the potential distribution and habitat suitability of three Cd-accumulating plants in China- Sedum alfredii, Phytolacca americana, and Hylotelephium spectabile and explore the key environmental factors that affect their habitat suitability. A total of 44 environmental parameters, including bioclimatic variables, altitude, and soil property parameters were used. The results showed that: (1) For S. alfredii, suitable areas account for 14.9 % of the area of China, which are mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. (2) The suitable areas of P. americana account for 22.7 % of China and are mainly located in the regions of the Qinling Mountains and the south of China. (3) While that for H. spectabile are mainly located in the regions of northeastern China and certain regions of central China, with suitable areas account for 8.3 % of the area of China. (4) The distribution of these three plants is significantly affected by precipitation; specifically, solar radiation is an influential factor for the distribution of S. alfredii and H. spectabile, and temperature limits the distribution of P. americana. The selection and agronomic management of hyperaccumulators for phytoremediation requires multifactor consideration (e.g., climate, soil conditions and planting patterns). The results can provide guidance for identifying suitable areas for planting these three accumulating plants, which could not only prevent the unscientific cultivation of them in unsuitable habitats but also enhance the efficiency of phytoremediation. Meanwhile, these findings are expected to contribute to agronomic management for improved phytoremediation effects in different Cd-contaminated regions of China.

Identifying potentially contaminated areas with MaxEnt model for petrochemical industry in China

The presence of heavy metal and organic pollutants in wastewater effluents, flue gases, and even solid wastes from petrochemical industries renders improper discharges liable to posing threats to the ecological environment and human health. It is beneficial for pollution control to find out the regional distribution of contaminated sites. This study explored the relationship between the petrochemical contaminated areas and natural, socio-economic, and traffic factors. Ten indicators were selected as input variables, and the MaxEnt model was conducted to identify the potentially contaminated areas. Moreover, among these 10 variables, the factors that have the great impact on the results were determined according to the contribution of variables. The results showed that the MaxEnt model performed well with AUC of 0.981 ± 0.004, and 90% of the measured contaminated sites was located in areas with medium and high probability of contamination in the prediction results. The map of potentially contaminated areas indicated that the areas with high probability of contamination were distributed in Yangtze River Delta, Beijing, Tianjin, southern Guangdong, Fujian coastal areas, central Hubei and northeast Hunan, central Sichuan, and southwest Chongqing. The responses of variables presented that high probability of petrochemical contamination tended to appear in cities with developed economy, dense population, and convenient transportation. This study presents a novel way to identify the potentially contaminated areas for petrochemical sites and provides a theoretical basis to formulate future management strategies.

Effects of Climate Change on the Habitat of the Leopard (Panthera pardus) in the Liupanshan National Nature Reserve of China

Simple Summary

Climate change affects animal populations by affecting their habitats. The leopard population has significantly decreased due to climate change and human disturbance. We studied the impact of climate change on leopard habitats using infrared camera technology in the Liupanshan National Nature Reserve of Jingyuan County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, from July 2017 to October 2019. We captured 25 leopard distribution points and used the MAXENT model to predict and analyze the habitat. We studied the leopard’s suitable habitat area and distribution area under different geographical scales in the reserve. Changes in habitat area of leopards under three climate models in Guyuan in 2050 were also studied. We conclude that the current main factors affecting suitable leopard habitat area were vegetation cover and human disturbance. The most critical factor affecting future suitable habitat area is rainfall. Under the three climate models, the habitat area of the leopard decreased gradually because of an increase in carbon dioxide concentration.

Abstract

Climate change affects animal populations by affecting their habitats. The leopard population has significantly decreased due to climate change and human disturbance. We studied the impact of climate change on leopard habitats using infrared camera technology in the Liupanshan National Nature Reserve of Jingyuan County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, from July 2017 to October 2019. We captured 25 leopard distribution points over 47,460 camera working days. We used the MAXENT model to predict and analyze the habitat. We studied the leopard’s suitable habitat area and distribution area under different geographical scales in the reserve. Changes in habitat area of leopards under the rcp2.6, rcp4.5, and rcp8.5 climate models in Guyuan in 2050 were also studied. We conclude that the current main factors affecting suitable leopard habitat area were vegetation cover and human disturbance. The most critical factor affecting future suitable habitat area is rainfall. Under the three climate models, the habitat area of the leopard decreased gradually because of an increase in carbon dioxide concentration. Through the prediction of the leopard’s distribution area in the Liupanshan Nature Reserve, we evaluated the scientific nature of the reserve, which is helpful for the restoration and protection of the wild leopard population.

Differential Impacts of Climatic and Land Use Changes on Habitat Suitability and Protected Area Adequacy across the Asian Elephant’s Range

Climate change and human activities have caused dramatic impacts on biodiversity. Although a number of international agreements or initiatives have been launched to mitigate the biodiversity loss, the erosion of terrestrial biome habitats is inevitable. Consequently, the identification of potential suitable habitats under climate change and human disturbance has become an urgent task of biodiversity conservation. In this study, we used the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to identify the current and potential future habitats of Asian elephants in South and Southeast Asia. We performed analyses for future projections with 17 scenarios using the present results as baseline. To optimize the modelling results, we delineated the core habitats by using the Core Mapper Tool and compared them with existing protected areas (PAs) through gap analysis. The results showed that the current total area of core habitats is 491,455 km2 in size and will be reduced to 332,544 km2 by 2090 under SSP585 (the shared socioeconomic pathway). The projection analysis under differential scenarios suggested that most of the core habitats in the current protected areas would remain stable and suitable for elephants in the future. However, the remaining 75.17% of the core habitats lay outside the current PAs, and finally we mapped approximately 219,545 km2 of suitable habitats as priority protected areas in the future. Although our model did not perform well in some regions, our analyses and findings still could provide useful references to the planning of protected areas and conservation of Asian elephant.

Prediction of Suitable Distribution of a Critically Endangered Plant Glyptostrobus pensilis

Glyptostrobus pensilis is a critically endangered living fossil plant species of the Mesozoic era, with high scientific research and economic value. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of climate change on the potential habitat area of G. pensilis in East Asia. The MaxEnt (maximum entropy) model optimized by the ENMeval data package was used to simulate the potential distribution habitats of G. pensilis since the last interglacial period (LIG, 120–140 ka). The results showed that the optimized MaxEnt model has a high prediction accuracy with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.9843 ± 0.005. The Current highly suitable habitats were found in the Northeast Jiangxi, Eastern Fujian and Eastern Guangdong; the main climatic factors affecting the geographic distribution of G. pensilis are temperature and precipitation, with precipitation as the temperature factor. The minimum temperature of coldest month (Bio6) may be the key factor restricting the northward distribution of G. pensilis; during the LIG, it contracted greatly in the highly suitable habitat area. Mean Diurnal Range (Bio2), Minimum Temperature of Coldest Month (Bio6), Annual Precipitation (Bio12) and Mean Temperature of Driest Quarter (Bio9) may be important climatic factors causing the changes in geographic distribution. In the next four periods, the suitable areas all migrated southward. Except for the RCP2.6-2070s, the highly suitable areas in the other three periods showed varying degrees of shrinkage. The results will provide a theoretical basis for the management and resource protection of G. pensilis.

Predicting potential distribution of Ziziphus spinosa (Bunge) H.H. Hu ex F.H. Chen in China under climate change scenarios

Ziziphus spinosa (Bunge) H.H. Hu ex F.H. Chen is a woody plant species of the family Rhamnaceae (order Rhamnales) that possesses high nutritional and medicinal value. Predicting the effects of climate change on the distribution of Z. spinosa is of great significance for the investigation, protection, and exploitation of this germplasm resource. For this study, optimized maximum entropy models were employed to predict the distribution patterns and changes of its present (1970-2000) and future (2050s, 2070s, and 2090s) potential suitable regions in China under multiple climate scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 & SSP5-8.5). The results revealed that the total area of the present potential suitable region for Z. spinosa is 162.60 × 104 km2, which accounts for 16.94% of China's territory. Within this area, the regions having low, medium, and high suitability were 80.14 × 104 km2, 81.50 × 104 km2, and 0.96 × 104 km2, respectively, with the high suitability regions being distributed primarily in Shanxi, Hebei, and Beijing Provinces. Except for SSP-1-2.6-2070s, SSP-5-8.5-2070s, and SSP-5-8.5-2090s, the suitable areas for Z. spinosa in the future increased to different degrees. Meanwhile, considering the distribution of Z. spinosa during different periods and under different climate scenarios, our study predicted that the low impact areas of Z. spinosa were mainly restricted to Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Jilin Provinces. The results of core distributional shifts showed that, except for SSP1-2.6, the center of the potential suitable region of Z. spinosa exhibited a trend of gradually shifting to the northwest.

Anthropogenic impacts on phytosociological features and soil microbial health of Colchicum luteum L. an endangered medicinal plant of North Western Himalaya

Colchicum luteum is currently a rare and threatened medicinal plant species in the Kashmir Himalaya. Due to the subsequent increase in anthropogenic pressure on medicinal plant species, it is imperative to understand the phytosociological and conservational status of the plant in its natural habitat. The objectives of this study were analysed in year 2018–2019 on the phytosociological data, viz. density, frequency, and abundance, as well as the rhizospheric soil microbial diversity of C. luteum in disturbed and undisturbed areas of the Kashmir Himalaya. We examined the distribution pattern, phytosociological data, and conservation status of C. luteum by analysing ecological features like abundance, frequency, and density in all three selected locations in Kashmir, Northern India and were found maximum values at Undisturbed areas. The highest values of density (3.24 ± 0.69 m²), frequency (57.77 ± 13.55%), and abundance (5.49 m²) were recorded at undisturbed site Harwan. The total bacterial count (CFU) and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) spore population from the rhizospheric soil of C. luteum were also analysed, with higher bacterial count i.e., Pseudomonas, Azatobacter, Rhizobium and PSB were (26.2 ± 0.648) (21.88 ± 0.675) (30.11 ± 0.576) and (14.11 ± 0.671) and VAM spore population (g⁻¹) of soil recorded 6.36 ± 0.550 at undisturbed areas viz. Harwan. The bacteria and fungi are likely keystone organisms that form an interface between soils and plant roots. Mutualistic associations with host plants have been observed in various natural and agricultural ecosystems. The present findings could be helpful in formulating conservation strategies for C. Luteum threatened and endangered medicinal plant present in North western Himalayan regions. The plant in disturbed areas that are affected by anthropogenic activities like tourism, grazing, deforestation, urbanization, transport etc. impacts on phytosociological and soil microbial patterns in the area. Because of these abiotic pressures, causes a reduction in plant cover in forest regions, soils become exposed, affecting soil microbial health. Therefore, the study shows the necessity for best practices for medicinal plant and forest management that provide effective monitoring and regulation of human activities in the offshore forest regions and avoid the intrusion of existing reserves.