Habitat protection and planning for Leonurus japonicus using the Maxent
and Marxan models
Abstract
To predict suitable growing regions for Leonurus japonicus and to
provide scientific sopport for the habitat conservation and the
exploitation and utilization of germplasm resources under climate change
conditions, this study combined niche and priority conservation models
to assess the future potential distribution of L. japonicus in China. To
this end, distribution points and samples of L. japonicus were gathered
through online and field surveys. The Maxent model with optimized
parameters was used for predicting the suitable habitats of L. japonicus
at different stages, and the Marxan model was used to determine the
priority of protected areas. The results showed that the highest
temperature in the hottest month, the lowest temperature in the coldest
month, the precipitation in the wettest month, the precipitation in the
driest month, and altitude were the main environmental factors
influencing the distribution of L. japonicus. Under the three climate
change scenarios, the centroid of the suitable area of L. japonicus
migrated northward, and the migration position tended to expand further
northwest. In the future, there would be no significant niche
differentiation of L. japonicus; the Marxan results showed that priority
protected areas for L. japonicus were in southwestern central China,
Lingnan, southern east China, and Guizhou. Overall, the results of this
research can provide a strategy for the determination of priority
protection areas for Leonurus japonicus in China.