Predicting the Implications of Climatic Alterations on the Distribution of Endangered Species: A Case Study of Saxifragaceae on the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau

ABSTRACT Understanding the potential impacts of climate change on species distribution is crucial for the conservation of threatened taxa. The Saxifragaceae family, known for its susceptibility to habitat disturbance, exhibits a diverse distribution across multiple regions. While a significant propo...

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Main Authors: Yang Lv, Zhaxi Cairang, Chenglin Sun, Xu Su, Yuping Liu, Yonghui Zhou, Kaiyue Wei, Xu Feng, Jieqiong Lei, Yinghui Zheng, Xuanlin Gao, Mir Muhammad Nizamani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-08-01
Series:Ecology and Evolution
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71899
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author Yang Lv
Zhaxi Cairang
Chenglin Sun
Xu Su
Yuping Liu
Yonghui Zhou
Kaiyue Wei
Xu Feng
Jieqiong Lei
Yinghui Zheng
Xuanlin Gao
Mir Muhammad Nizamani
author_facet Yang Lv
Zhaxi Cairang
Chenglin Sun
Xu Su
Yuping Liu
Yonghui Zhou
Kaiyue Wei
Xu Feng
Jieqiong Lei
Yinghui Zheng
Xuanlin Gao
Mir Muhammad Nizamani
author_sort Yang Lv
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Understanding the potential impacts of climate change on species distribution is crucial for the conservation of threatened taxa. The Saxifragaceae family, known for its susceptibility to habitat disturbance, exhibits a diverse distribution across multiple regions. While a significant proportion of this family is found on the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau (QXP), nearly half of the Saxifraga species are native to Europe, with other genera, such as Heuchera, showing centers of diversity in North America and Japan. This study applies the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model in combination with Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) to assess the potential influence of climate change on the distribution and species richness of four endangered Saxifragaceae species (Saxifraga cernua L., Saxifraga tangutica Engl., Saxifraga przewalskii Engl. ex‐Maxim., Saxifraga unguiculata Engl.) on the QXP, spanning from the Last Glacial Maximum to 2080. Our findings reveal that key environmental factors, including elevation, slope, mean annual temperature, isothermality, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation during the wettest quarter, significantly influence species distribution patterns. Historical climate models suggest that approximately 30% of the QXP provided highly suitable habitat for Saxifragaceae species, a proportion that has increased to over 30% in current projections, with this trend expected to persist across the next three time intervals. Optimal habitats were identified in the southeastern QXP, western Sichuan, and northern Yunnan. Projections indicate that these taxa will likely shift southward in response to ongoing climate changes. These results highlight the need for targeted conservation strategies, emphasizing the establishment of protected areas in southeastern QXP to preserve these vulnerable species of Saxifragaceae.
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spelling doaj-art-0ca1fc2159cf466facace980a1d5727d2025-08-25T08:11:24ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-08-01158n/an/a10.1002/ece3.71899Predicting the Implications of Climatic Alterations on the Distribution of Endangered Species: A Case Study of Saxifragaceae on the Qinghai‐Xizang PlateauYang Lv0Zhaxi Cairang1Chenglin Sun2Xu Su3Yuping Liu4Yonghui Zhou5Kaiyue Wei6Xu Feng7Jieqiong Lei8Yinghui Zheng9Xuanlin Gao10Mir Muhammad Nizamani11School of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaSchool of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaSchool of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaSchool of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaSchool of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaGanzhou Research Institute of Vegetables and Flowers Ganzhou ChinaSchool of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaSchool of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaSchool of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaSchool of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaSchool of Life Sciences Qinghai Normal University Xining ChinaInstitute of Marine Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Prevention Shantou University Shantou ChinaABSTRACT Understanding the potential impacts of climate change on species distribution is crucial for the conservation of threatened taxa. The Saxifragaceae family, known for its susceptibility to habitat disturbance, exhibits a diverse distribution across multiple regions. While a significant proportion of this family is found on the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau (QXP), nearly half of the Saxifraga species are native to Europe, with other genera, such as Heuchera, showing centers of diversity in North America and Japan. This study applies the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model in combination with Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) to assess the potential influence of climate change on the distribution and species richness of four endangered Saxifragaceae species (Saxifraga cernua L., Saxifraga tangutica Engl., Saxifraga przewalskii Engl. ex‐Maxim., Saxifraga unguiculata Engl.) on the QXP, spanning from the Last Glacial Maximum to 2080. Our findings reveal that key environmental factors, including elevation, slope, mean annual temperature, isothermality, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation during the wettest quarter, significantly influence species distribution patterns. Historical climate models suggest that approximately 30% of the QXP provided highly suitable habitat for Saxifragaceae species, a proportion that has increased to over 30% in current projections, with this trend expected to persist across the next three time intervals. Optimal habitats were identified in the southeastern QXP, western Sichuan, and northern Yunnan. Projections indicate that these taxa will likely shift southward in response to ongoing climate changes. These results highlight the need for targeted conservation strategies, emphasizing the establishment of protected areas in southeastern QXP to preserve these vulnerable species of Saxifragaceae.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71899climate changeclimatic scenariomaximum entropy modelpotential distributionSaxifragaceaeshared socioeconomic pathway
spellingShingle Yang Lv
Zhaxi Cairang
Chenglin Sun
Xu Su
Yuping Liu
Yonghui Zhou
Kaiyue Wei
Xu Feng
Jieqiong Lei
Yinghui Zheng
Xuanlin Gao
Mir Muhammad Nizamani
Predicting the Implications of Climatic Alterations on the Distribution of Endangered Species: A Case Study of Saxifragaceae on the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau
Ecology and Evolution
climate change
climatic scenario
maximum entropy model
potential distribution
Saxifragaceae
shared socioeconomic pathway
title Predicting the Implications of Climatic Alterations on the Distribution of Endangered Species: A Case Study of Saxifragaceae on the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau
title_full Predicting the Implications of Climatic Alterations on the Distribution of Endangered Species: A Case Study of Saxifragaceae on the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau
title_fullStr Predicting the Implications of Climatic Alterations on the Distribution of Endangered Species: A Case Study of Saxifragaceae on the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau
title_full_unstemmed Predicting the Implications of Climatic Alterations on the Distribution of Endangered Species: A Case Study of Saxifragaceae on the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau
title_short Predicting the Implications of Climatic Alterations on the Distribution of Endangered Species: A Case Study of Saxifragaceae on the Qinghai‐Xizang Plateau
title_sort predicting the implications of climatic alterations on the distribution of endangered species a case study of saxifragaceae on the qinghai xizang plateau
topic climate change
climatic scenario
maximum entropy model
potential distribution
Saxifragaceae
shared socioeconomic pathway
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71899
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