Potentially differential impacts on niche overlap between Chinese endangered Zelkova schneideriana and its associated tree species under climate change

Climate change has a significant impact on the potential distribution for endangered trees. However, to date, little is known about how the endangered trees and main associated ones in different types of subtropical forests respond to climate change. Here, we first selected the endangered Zelkova sc...

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Main Authors: Yanrong Zhou, Xin Lu, Guangfu Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1218149/full
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author Yanrong Zhou
Xin Lu
Guangfu Zhang
author_facet Yanrong Zhou
Xin Lu
Guangfu Zhang
author_sort Yanrong Zhou
collection DOAJ
description Climate change has a significant impact on the potential distribution for endangered trees. However, to date, little is known about how the endangered trees and main associated ones in different types of subtropical forests respond to climate change. Here, we first selected the endangered Zelkova schneideriana endemic to China and its associated trees as focus species from two subtropical forest communities (i.e. deciduous broad-leaf forest, bamboo and broad-leaf mixed forest) in China, and divided them into two species pairs: Z. schneideriana vs. Celtis sinensis, and Z. schneideriana vs. Phyllostachys edulis. Then, we simulated the three species’ suitable areas under current and future climate scenarios using Maxent based on the occurrence records and environmental variables, and further measured niche overlap between each species pair over time. Our Maxent showed: (1) Temperature-related factors have greater influence on Z. schneideriana than the other factors. The most important factor influencing its population distribution was Min temperature of coldest month (Bio6), followed by Mean diurnal range (Bio2), with the total contribution of 78.9%. (2) Currently, the suitable area of Z. schneideriana was predicted to be 106.50 × 104 km2, mostly located in the subtropical region of China, especially in Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces. (3) Its suitable area would decrease and its average migration distance was 19.72 km under 16 future climate scenarios, with the core distribution migrating northeast. (4) There is an asynchrony of potential niche overlap between species pairs. One species pair with C. sinensis will rise in terms of Schoener’s D and I values whereas the other one with P. edulis will decline in the future. This asynchrony can be ascribed to the different future suitable ranges of these focus species as well as their ecological characteristics. Our study provides a new perspective on the conservation for endangered trees and surrounding neighbors in Chinese subtropical forests.
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spelling doaj.art-ff30486ae58d423387fa14a590d44fd42023-07-28T19:04:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2023-07-011110.3389/fevo.2023.12181491218149Potentially differential impacts on niche overlap between Chinese endangered Zelkova schneideriana and its associated tree species under climate changeYanrong ZhouXin LuGuangfu ZhangClimate change has a significant impact on the potential distribution for endangered trees. However, to date, little is known about how the endangered trees and main associated ones in different types of subtropical forests respond to climate change. Here, we first selected the endangered Zelkova schneideriana endemic to China and its associated trees as focus species from two subtropical forest communities (i.e. deciduous broad-leaf forest, bamboo and broad-leaf mixed forest) in China, and divided them into two species pairs: Z. schneideriana vs. Celtis sinensis, and Z. schneideriana vs. Phyllostachys edulis. Then, we simulated the three species’ suitable areas under current and future climate scenarios using Maxent based on the occurrence records and environmental variables, and further measured niche overlap between each species pair over time. Our Maxent showed: (1) Temperature-related factors have greater influence on Z. schneideriana than the other factors. The most important factor influencing its population distribution was Min temperature of coldest month (Bio6), followed by Mean diurnal range (Bio2), with the total contribution of 78.9%. (2) Currently, the suitable area of Z. schneideriana was predicted to be 106.50 × 104 km2, mostly located in the subtropical region of China, especially in Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces. (3) Its suitable area would decrease and its average migration distance was 19.72 km under 16 future climate scenarios, with the core distribution migrating northeast. (4) There is an asynchrony of potential niche overlap between species pairs. One species pair with C. sinensis will rise in terms of Schoener’s D and I values whereas the other one with P. edulis will decline in the future. This asynchrony can be ascribed to the different future suitable ranges of these focus species as well as their ecological characteristics. Our study provides a new perspective on the conservation for endangered trees and surrounding neighbors in Chinese subtropical forests.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1218149/fullniche overlapMaxentZelkova schneiderianapopulation centroidsuitable range
spellingShingle Yanrong Zhou
Xin Lu
Guangfu Zhang
Potentially differential impacts on niche overlap between Chinese endangered Zelkova schneideriana and its associated tree species under climate change
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
niche overlap
Maxent
Zelkova schneideriana
population centroid
suitable range
title Potentially differential impacts on niche overlap between Chinese endangered Zelkova schneideriana and its associated tree species under climate change
title_full Potentially differential impacts on niche overlap between Chinese endangered Zelkova schneideriana and its associated tree species under climate change
title_fullStr Potentially differential impacts on niche overlap between Chinese endangered Zelkova schneideriana and its associated tree species under climate change
title_full_unstemmed Potentially differential impacts on niche overlap between Chinese endangered Zelkova schneideriana and its associated tree species under climate change
title_short Potentially differential impacts on niche overlap between Chinese endangered Zelkova schneideriana and its associated tree species under climate change
title_sort potentially differential impacts on niche overlap between chinese endangered zelkova schneideriana and its associated tree species under climate change
topic niche overlap
Maxent
Zelkova schneideriana
population centroid
suitable range
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1218149/full
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AT xinlu potentiallydifferentialimpactsonnicheoverlapbetweenchineseendangeredzelkovaschneiderianaanditsassociatedtreespeciesunderclimatechange
AT guangfuzhang potentiallydifferentialimpactsonnicheoverlapbetweenchineseendangeredzelkovaschneiderianaanditsassociatedtreespeciesunderclimatechange