Biomod2 modeling for predicting the potential ecological distribution of
three Fritillaria species under climate change
Abstract
The Fritillaria species has become rare due to excessive harvesting, and
thus identifying new ecological distribution of Fritillaria species and
predicting its response to climate change are necessary for plant
conservation and cultivation. In this study, areas with potential
ecological suitability for Fritillaria delavayi, Fritillaria
taipaiensis, and Fritillaria wabuensis were predicted using Biomod2
according to current occurrence records and bioclimatic variables.
Temperature seasonality was the most important environmental variable
for Fritillaria taipaiensis and Fritillaria wabuensis, while
isothermality was most important for Fritillaria delavayi. The current
suitable areas for three Fritillaria species were found to be
distributed in south-west China, accounting for approximately 17.72%,
23.06% and 20.60% of the total area of China, respectively. During the
highest concentration of greenhouse gas emission (SSP585), the suitable
habitats of F. delavayi and F. wabuensis reached the maximum from 2021
to 2100, while that of F. taipaiensis reached the maximum from 2021 to
2100 during low emission (SSP126). The niche overlap of three
Fritillaria species was found to be significantly related to the
clustering tree based on chemical composition (P≤0.05), while no
correlation was observed between niche overlap and DNA phylogenies,
indicating that spatial distribution had a major influence on chemical
composition in the Fritillaria species. Species-specific habitats were
also predicted in order to decrease habitat competition. Overall, the
findings of this study may offer new insight into the potential
distribution and ecological niche of the three species for future
conservation and management.