Projecting the potential distribution and analyzing the bioclimatic factors of four Rhododendron subsect. Tsutsusi species under climate warming

Abstract

Tsutsusi is one of the eight subgenera of the Rhododendron genus. Four Tsutsusi species, R. indicum, R. simisii, R. oldhamii, and R. schlippenbachii, have high ornamental and medicinal values, resulting in an increasing market demand. These species thrive in cool and humid environments and are widely distributed in Europe and Asia. Whether global climate warming will affect the distribution of these valuable resources remains unclear. Thus, this study analyzed the climatic suitability of these species for the first time on the basis of 1552 geographical distribution points and 19 bioclimatic factors using the maximum entropy model. The results show that a suitable distribution area for all four species would decrease under climate warming. The main bioclimatic factors affecting their distribution are the mean temperature of the coldest quarter for R. indicum, the mean diurnal range for R. simisii, and precipitation of the warmest quarter for R. oldhamii and R. schlippenbachii. In addition, the contribution of the temperature-related bioclimatic factors to the distribution of R. indicum and R. simisii is higher than that of the associated precipitation-related climatic factors; in contrast, the contribution of precipitation-related bioclimatic factors to the distribution of R. oldhamii and R. schlippenbachii is higher than that of the temperature-related climatic factors. These results provide references for the introduction, conservation, sustainable development, and utilization of these four species in the future, and may also provide information with regards to other Rhododendron species.

Keywords

Rhododendron simisii / Rhododendron indicum / Rhododendron schlippenbachii / Rhododendron oldhamii / Climate change / Future distribution