Modeling the distribution of Zanthoxylum armatum in China with MaxEnt modeling

• Main Authors: Danping Xu, Zhihang Zhuo, Rulin Wang, Meng Ye, Biao Pu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2019-07-01
• Series: Global Ecology and Conservation
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419301672

Predicting suitable distribution is an effective way to guide the introduction and cultivation of a species. To explore the climatic suitability of Zanthoxylum armatum, the maximum entropy model was used to model the distribution of this species in China. The results showed that the suitable area for Z. armatum in the current climatic conditions was 85.1–120.4 °E, 20.9–37.7 °N, which was mainly located in the subtropical zone of China. High suitability areas were primarily concentrated in southwestern China in the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, and Chongqing with the region of 102.1–112.8 °E, 22.9–32.8 °N. The total area of suitable habitats accounted for 25% of China's total land area. The suitable ranges of the key environmental factors limiting the distribution of Z. armatum were a maximum temperature for January of 3.8–14.9 °C; a temperature for the driest quarter of 0.5–12.7 °C; a mean temperature for February of 0.2–12.2 °C; a mean temperature for March of 4.0–16.1 °C; a total precipitation for July of 126–500 mm; a minimum temperature for April of 4.1–16.9 °C; a temperature seasonality (standard deviation*100) of 503.1–906.3 °C; and a precipitation seasonality (coefficient of variation) of 43.9–92.2. Keywords: MaxEnt model, Zanthoxylum armatum, Distribution area, Environmental factor