Abstract:
Investigating the potential suitable habitats of the endangered and economically valuable tree species
Phoebe chekiangensis and its response to environmental factors is favourable for developing scientific cultivation plans and providing the foundation of subsequent management as well as conservation strategies. This study predicted the potential suitable habitats across Zhejiang Province on the basis of data about 64
P.
chekiangensis distribution spots during the period from 2015 to 2021 in Zhejiang Province’s ecological monitoring plot database, applying the Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt) integrated with Geographic Information System (ArcGIS) technology. The accuracy of the Model was detected using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) Curves and the habitat suitability levels were classified, while dominant environmental factors were selected by using the jackknife method, response curves of these factors were analyzed to determine optimal ecological conditions for
P.
chekiangensis survival. Results demonstrated that the mean AUC value of the habitat prediction model is 0.873, indicating high predictive accuracy. The high suitable areas for
P.
chekiangensis in Zhejiang Province were mainly concentrated in the southwestern mountainous region, with an approximate area of 8 450 square kilometers. Key environmental determinants affecting the distribution of its suitable habitats included elevation, precipitation of the wettest month (Bio13), precipitation of the driest month (Bio14), and mean air temperature of the wettest season (Bio8), etc., with habitats aggregated highly and affected comprehensively by topographic factors, precipitation and temperature, etc. These findings suggest that the above environmental constraints should be given priority in the introduction and afforestation of
P.
chekiangensis, simultaneously with ecological protection in high-altitude mountainous region strengthened so as to mitigate habitat contraction for
P.
chekiangensis.