Impact of climate change on the geographical distribution and niche dynamics of Gastrodia elata

Abstract

Background Gastrodia elata is widely used in China as a valuable herbal medicine. Owing to its high medicinal and nutrient value, wild resources of G. elata have been overexploited and its native areas have been severely damaged. Understanding the impacts of climate change on the distribution of this endangered species is important for the conservation and sustainable use of G. elata. Methods We used the optimized maximum entropy model to simulate the potential distribution of G. elata under contemporary and future time periods (1970–2000, 2050s, 2070s, and 2090s) and different climate change scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5). Under these conditions, we investigated the key environmental factors influencing the distribution of G. elata as well as the spatial and temporal characteristics of its niche dynamics. Results With high Maxent model accuracy (AUCmean = 0.947 ± 0.012, and the Kappa value is 0.817), our analysis revealed that annual precipitation, altitude, and mean temperature of driest quarter are the most important environmental factors influencing the distribution of G. elata. Under current bioclimatic conditions, the potentially suitable area for G. elata in China is 71.98 × 104 km2, while the highly suitable region for G. elata growth is 7.28 × 104 km2. Our models for three future periods under four climate change scenarios indicate that G. elata can maintain stable distributions in southern Shaanxi, southwestern Hubei, and around the Sichuan basin, as these areas are highly suitable for its growth. However, the center of the highly suitable areas of G. elata shift depending on different climatic scenarios. The values of niche overlap for G. elata show a decreasing trend over the forecasted periods, of which the niche overlap under the SSP3-7.0 scenario shows the greatest decrease. Discussions Under the condition of global climate change in the future, our study provides basic reference data for the conservation and sustainable utilization of the valuable and endangered medicinal plant G. elata. It is important to carefully choose the protection area of G. elata wild resources according the suitable area conditions modeled. Moreover, these findings will be valuable for providing insights into the breeding and artificial cultivation of this plant, including the selection of suitable areas for planting.

Discovery of seed germinating fungi (Mycetinis scorodonius) from Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow in Changbai Mountain and examination of their germination ability

“…Environmental conditions are the basis of plant reproduction and critical factors that control seed germination 27 . Environmental factors are the most important factors influencing the growth of G. elata Bl., including altitude and precipitation 28 . Therefore, different regions cultivate G. elata Bl.…”

“…Therefore, different regions cultivate G. elata Bl. in different geographical locations and climates 28 , 29 , resulting in different varieties of germination fungus. In the cultivation of G. elata Bl., the commonly used germination fungus includes M. osmundicola and M. dendrobii , but they were all isolated and identified in central and southern China.…”

Predicting the Potential Habitat Distribution of Relict Plant Davidia involucrata in China Based on the MaxEnt Model

“…Suitable habitats for numerous endangered species are expected to undergo varying degrees of reduction in the future, including Gastrodia elata (G. elata), Cathaya argyrophylla (C. argyrophylla), etc. For instance, Hu's [80] findings demonstrated that the geographical distribution of G. elata would reduce in the future and move towards higher latitude regions. Zhao [81] explored C. argyrophylla and demonstrated that its habitat would be threatened in response to global warming and would decrease evidently.…”