Geographical distribution and migration routes of the medical bryophyte, Climacium dendroides, under climate warming in China

Abstract

Climacium dendroides is a rare bryophyte resource with important medicinal value, which is mainly concentrated in the southwest and northeast China. In recent years, we found in the wild investigation that the population of C. dendroides had shrunk. In our study, based on high-resolution environmental variables and geographical occurrence records, the Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt) combined with ArcGIS was used to predict the spatial-temporal distributional pattern of C. dendroides in China under the current and future scenarios. Simulation results revealed that the total suitable area decreases by more than a third (–36.02%) in future scenarios. Further, the distributional centers moved to the northwest. Annual precipitation, max temperature of warmest month, and annual mean air temperature were the key environmental factors affecting the distribution of C. dendroides. Global warming coupled with the adverse effects of anthropogenic activities might accelerate the disappearance of suitable habitats for C. dendroides. Overall, our research provides useful indications for protecting the diversity of medical bryophytes and for their conservation.

Supplemental data for this article is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2021.1906348

Keywords:

• Bryophyte
• climate warming
• maximum entropy model
• geographical distribution
• biodiversity conservation

Acknowledgments

We extend appreciation to Xiaoqun Ma in the field investigation, who works in the management committee of Heilongjiang Provincial Scenic Area Nature Reserve, and Yongkun Li in the volcano operation and Management Branch of Mudanjiang Jingpohu Tourism Group Co., Ltd. We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (31700168); Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation (20202BABL213044); Science and Technology Project of Educational Department in Jiangxi Province (GJJ200326); Open Foundation of Jiangxi Provincial Key Lab of Protection and Utilization of Subtropical Plant Resources (YRD201901); Postdoctoral Scholars Daily Foundation Projects of Jiangxi Province (2019RC17); Postdoctoral Scholars Excellent Foundation Projects of Jiangxi Province (2020ZY52); Postdoctoral Scholars Foundation Projects of Jiangxi Normal University (12020739); Young Talent Cultivation Funding Program of Jiangxi Normal University (202006); Talent Introduction Foundation of Jiangxi Normal University (12019506).