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- Title
Prediction of Potential Suitable Distribution Areas for an Endangered Salamander in China.
- Authors
Tao, Jiacheng; Hu, Yifeng; Jiang, Jianping; Yang, Wanji; Zhao, Tian; Su, Shengqi
- Abstract
Simple Summary: Exploring species' potential suitable habitats is crucial for endangered species conservation, in particular under future global climate change conditions. The Wushan salamander (Liua shihi) is an endangered salamander in China, which is a national protected species (level II). Based on the distribution records of L. shihi, the main objective of this study was to predict the distribution of suitable habitats under current and future climate conditions for L. shihi. Our results showed that precipitation, cloud density, vegetation type, and ultraviolet radiation were the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitat for L. shihi. At present, the suitable habitats are mainly distributed in the Daba Mountain area. Under the future climate conditions, the area of suitable habitats increased, which mainly occurred in central Guizhou Province. These findings provided important information for the conservation of L. shihi. Climate change has been considered to pose critical threats for wildlife. During the past decade, species distribution models were widely used to assess the effects of climate change on the distribution of species' suitable habitats. Among all the vertebrates, amphibians are most vulnerable to climate change. This is especially true for salamanders, which possess some specific traits such as cutaneous respiration and low vagility. The Wushan salamander (Liua shihi) is a threatened and protected salamander in China, with its wild population decreasing continuously. The main objective of this study was to predict the distribution of suitable habitat for L. shihi using the ENMeval parameter-optimized MaxEnt model under current and future climate conditions. Our results showed that precipitation, cloud density, vegetation type, and ultraviolet radiation were the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of L. shihi. Currently, the suitable habitats for L. shihi are mainly concentrated in the Daba Mountains, including northeastern Chongqing and western Hubei Provinces. Under the future climate conditions, the area of suitable habitats increased, which mainly occurred in central Guizhou Province. This study provided important information for the conservation of L. shihi. Future studies can incorporate more species distribution models to better understand the effects of climate change on the distribution of L. shihi.
- Subjects
GUIZHOU Sheng (China); CHINA; HUBEI Sheng (China); SALAMANDERS; WILDLIFE conservation; ENDANGERED species; SPECIES distribution; ULTRAVIOLET radiation
- Publication
Animals (2076-2615), 2024, Vol 14, Issue 9, p1390
- ISSN
2076-2615
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/ani14091390