Distributional Shift of East Asian Endemic Genus Oyama Based on MaxEnt

Purpose To explore the distributional shift of Oyama, an endemic genus in East Asia.

Methods In MaxEnt, ecological niche of Oyama was modeled at both genus and species level based on occurrence points and 58 environmental variables including temperature, precipitation, soil and ultraviolet radiation variables. Potential distributions of four different periods including past (last glacial maximum and mid-Holecene) and future (2050s and 2070s) were predicted.

Results From past to future, Oyama species tend to migrate to high latitude and altitude regions. Their distributions decrease from last glacial maximum to present while changes from present to future include both increase and decrease pattern. More precise distribution and larger distribution range size are predicted in southwest region with higher topographic and environmental heterogeneity based on species level at different periods, while no significant differences are found in northeast region. Different trends are found between different periods at both genus and species levels.

Conclusion Attention should be paid to the differences between different genus or species level in prediction of distributional shift of endemic genus in East Asia and select appropriate method.