Predicting the Habitat Suitability of <i>Melaleuca cajuputi</i> Based on the MaxEnt Species Distribution Model
Gelam tree or <i>Melaleuca cajuputi (M. cajuputi</i>) is an important species for the local economy as well as coastal ecosystem protection in Terengganu, Malaysia. This study aimed at producing a current habitat suitability map and predicting future potential habitat distribution for &l...
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| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
| Publicado: |
MDPI AG
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/874152c39a8847cca279863295974cb1 |
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| Sumario: | Gelam tree or <i>Melaleuca cajuputi (M. cajuputi</i>) is an important species for the local economy as well as coastal ecosystem protection in Terengganu, Malaysia. This study aimed at producing a current habitat suitability map and predicting future potential habitat distribution for <i>M. cajuputi</i> in Terengganu based on Species distribution modeling (SDM) using the Maximum Entropy principle. Our modeling results show that for the current potential distribution of <i>M. cajuputi</i> species, only 10.82% (1346.5 km<sup>2</sup>) of Terengganu area is suitable habitat, which 0.96% of the areas are under high, 2.44% moderate and 7.42% poor habitat suitability. The model prediction for future projection shows that the habitat suitability for <i>M. cajuputi</i> would decrease significantly in the year 2050 under RCP 4.5 where the largest contraction from suitable to unsuitable habitat area is about 442.1 km<sup>2</sup> and under RCP 2.6 is the highest expansion from unsuitable to suitable habitat area (267.5 km<sup>2</sup>). From the future habitat suitability projection, we found that the habitat suitability in Marang would degrade significantly under all climate scenarios, while in Setiu the habitat suitability for <i>M. cajuputi</i> remains stable throughout the climate change scenarios. The modeling prediction shows a significant influence on the soil properties, temperature, and precipitation during monsoon months. These results could benefit conservationist and policymakers for decision making. The present model could also give a perception into potential habitat suitability of <i>M. cajuputi</i> in the future and to improve our understanding of the species’ response under the changing climate. |
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