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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. For. Glob. Change
Sec. Forests and the Atmosphere
Volume 7 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2024.1472857

Predicting Climate Change Impacts on Distribution and Conservation of Critically Endangered Picea neoveitchii using MaxEnt

Provisionally accepted
NINGHAN XUE NINGHAN XUE 1*Kaiyuan Li Kaiyuan Li 1Kexin Chen Kexin Chen 1Panpan Li Panpan Li 1*Xinmiao Ji Xinmiao Ji 2*Zhilin Ma Zhilin Ma 3*Wenli Ji Wenli Ji 1*
  • 1 Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
  • 2 Sichuan Polytechnic University, Deyang, China
  • 3 Shaanxi Academy of Forestry, Shaanxi, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Picea neoveitchii Mast., an endemic and rare species in China, classified as Critically Endangered (CR) in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, possesses significant research value due to its unique biological characteristics that contribute to plant taxonomy and the conservation of the genus Picea. Despite its excellent timber quality and high ornamental value, it has not been widely used and well protected. This study employed the MaxEnt modeling approach, incorporating field survey data on species distribution and species distribution data collected online, along with climatic and environmental data sourced from IPCC reports and climate databases. It assessed the current and future distribution ranges, influential variables, and conservation status of P. neoveitchii. The results indicate that Minimum Temperature of the Coldest Month, Annual Precipitation, Temperature Seasonality, and Altitude are the key factors influencing the distribution of P. neoveitchii. Across all future climate scenarios, the suitable habitat for P. neoveitchii consistently exhibits a trend of shifting northwestwards. Under SSP2-4.5、ssp5-5.8 scenario, the suitable area decreases in all periods. Under SSP1-2.6 scenario, the suitable area decreases, except the period from 2080 to 2100, which sightly increases. Notably, the proportion of habitat within natural reserves increased. To conserve P.

    Keywords: Climate Change, Maxent, Habitat shift, Picea neoveitchii Mast., Potential geographic distribution, Conservation strategies

    Received: 30 Jul 2024; Accepted: 26 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 XUE, Li, Chen, Li, Ji, Ma and Ji. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    NINGHAN XUE, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
    Panpan Li, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
    Xinmiao Ji, Sichuan Polytechnic University, Deyang, China
    Zhilin Ma, Shaanxi Academy of Forestry, Shaanxi, China
    Wenli Ji, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.