Impact of the Luding Earthquake on the Area of Potentially Suitable Habitat for <i>Batrachuperus</i> Species in the Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve

Members of the genus <i>Batrachuperus</i> are endemic to China and include seven described species, five of which are nationally protected salamanders in China. The Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve (GGMNNR) is rich in animal and plant resources, including the <i>Batrachuperu...

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Main Authors: Xinlong Song, Xiuying Liu, Xiaoao Zheng, Jian Song, Zhangqiang You, Jianli Xiong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/235
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author Xinlong Song
Xiuying Liu
Xiaoao Zheng
Jian Song
Zhangqiang You
Jianli Xiong
author_facet Xinlong Song
Xiuying Liu
Xiaoao Zheng
Jian Song
Zhangqiang You
Jianli Xiong
author_sort Xinlong Song
collection DOAJ
description Members of the genus <i>Batrachuperus</i> are endemic to China and include seven described species, five of which are nationally protected salamanders in China. The Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve (GGMNNR) is rich in animal and plant resources, including the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species. On 5 September 2022, the GGMNNR experienced the Luding earthquake, and this provided an opportunity to quantify the impact of a catastrophic events on the area of potentially suitable habitat for a rare species in the GGMNNR. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Luding earthquake on the area of potentially suitable habitat for the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species by combining Maxent modeling, remote sensing image processing, and GIS methods. The results showed that precipitation, temperature, and slope were the most important variables affecting the distribution of the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species. Currently, suitable habitats accounted for 40.67% (1664.10 km<sup>2</sup>) of the studied area (4091.10 km<sup>2</sup>), and these areas were mainly distributed in the northern, western, and southern portions of the GGMNNR. The destruction caused by the earthquake accounted for 4.87% (199.34 km<sup>2</sup>) of the studied area, and only 1.97% (32.78 km<sup>2</sup>) of the suitable habitat of the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species was destroyed. These results indicated that although the Luding earthquake affected the habitat of the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species in the GGMNNR, its effect was small. These findings enhance our understanding of the distribution of the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species and the effect of the Luding earthquake on biodiversity in the GGMNNR.
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spelling doaj-art-71b5ad3a097342a4bb019eaa2d47e16f2025-01-24T13:18:13ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-01-0115223510.3390/ani15020235Impact of the Luding Earthquake on the Area of Potentially Suitable Habitat for <i>Batrachuperus</i> Species in the Gongga Mountain National Nature ReserveXinlong Song0Xiuying Liu1Xiaoao Zheng2Jian Song3Zhangqiang You4Jianli Xiong5Ecological Security and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Mianyang Normal University, Mianyang 621000, ChinaSchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Mianyang Normal University, Mianyang 621000, ChinaSichuan Gongga Mountains National Nature Reserve, Kangding 626000, ChinaEcological Security and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Mianyang Normal University, Mianyang 621000, ChinaEcological Security and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Mianyang Normal University, Mianyang 621000, ChinaEcological Security and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Mianyang Normal University, Mianyang 621000, ChinaMembers of the genus <i>Batrachuperus</i> are endemic to China and include seven described species, five of which are nationally protected salamanders in China. The Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve (GGMNNR) is rich in animal and plant resources, including the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species. On 5 September 2022, the GGMNNR experienced the Luding earthquake, and this provided an opportunity to quantify the impact of a catastrophic events on the area of potentially suitable habitat for a rare species in the GGMNNR. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Luding earthquake on the area of potentially suitable habitat for the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species by combining Maxent modeling, remote sensing image processing, and GIS methods. The results showed that precipitation, temperature, and slope were the most important variables affecting the distribution of the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species. Currently, suitable habitats accounted for 40.67% (1664.10 km<sup>2</sup>) of the studied area (4091.10 km<sup>2</sup>), and these areas were mainly distributed in the northern, western, and southern portions of the GGMNNR. The destruction caused by the earthquake accounted for 4.87% (199.34 km<sup>2</sup>) of the studied area, and only 1.97% (32.78 km<sup>2</sup>) of the suitable habitat of the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species was destroyed. These results indicated that although the Luding earthquake affected the habitat of the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species in the GGMNNR, its effect was small. These findings enhance our understanding of the distribution of the <i>Batrachuperus</i> species and the effect of the Luding earthquake on biodiversity in the GGMNNR.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/235distributionendangered speciesenvironmental variablesmaxentsalamander
spellingShingle Xinlong Song
Xiuying Liu
Xiaoao Zheng
Jian Song
Zhangqiang You
Jianli Xiong
Impact of the Luding Earthquake on the Area of Potentially Suitable Habitat for <i>Batrachuperus</i> Species in the Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve
Animals
distribution
endangered species
environmental variables
maxent
salamander
title Impact of the Luding Earthquake on the Area of Potentially Suitable Habitat for <i>Batrachuperus</i> Species in the Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve
title_full Impact of the Luding Earthquake on the Area of Potentially Suitable Habitat for <i>Batrachuperus</i> Species in the Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve
title_fullStr Impact of the Luding Earthquake on the Area of Potentially Suitable Habitat for <i>Batrachuperus</i> Species in the Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve
title_full_unstemmed Impact of the Luding Earthquake on the Area of Potentially Suitable Habitat for <i>Batrachuperus</i> Species in the Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve
title_short Impact of the Luding Earthquake on the Area of Potentially Suitable Habitat for <i>Batrachuperus</i> Species in the Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve
title_sort impact of the luding earthquake on the area of potentially suitable habitat for i batrachuperus i species in the gongga mountain national nature reserve
topic distribution
endangered species
environmental variables
maxent
salamander
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/235
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