Habitat suitability model of endangered Latidens salimalii and the probable consequences of global warming
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Tropical Ecology https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-020-00114-5
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Habitat suitability model of endangered Latidens salimalii and the probable consequences of global warming Sreehari Raman1,2,3 · Thekke Thumbath Shameer4 · Bipin Charles5 · Raveendranathanpillai Sanil4 Received: 18 April 2020 / Revised: 20 September 2020 / Accepted: 27 September 2020 © International Society for Tropical Ecology 2020
Abstract Salim Ali’s fruit bat, Latidens salimalii, is a monotypic endangered fruit bat endemic to Western Ghats (WG) with an ambiguous distribution. The distribution range, habitat suitability, and biology of this species are still uncertain. Endemic species inhabiting the high elevation of WG like L. salimalii are threatened due to climatic change and seeks urgent management interventions. Hence, we developed a habitat suitability model for L. salimalii using MaxEnt in the current climate condition and projected their distribution for three Representation Concentration Pathway (RCP 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5) climate scenarios of the 2070 time frame. The results show that 9531 km2 of habitat in WG is suitable for L. salimalii at present, while all the future scenarios estimates propose complete loss of highly suitable habitat. The significant factors influencing the distribution of L. salimalii are the precipitation of the driest month, tree density, rain in the coldest quarter, canopy height, and altitude. The study pioneers in predicting the suitable habitat and emphasis the need to develop strategies for the long-term conservation of endangered L. salimalii in WG under global warming scenarios. Keywords Climate change · Endemic species · Habitat loss · Maxent · Western Ghats
Introduction
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-020-00114-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Thekke Thumbath Shameer [email protected] 1
Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, Beijing 666303, China
2
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
3
Department of Wildlife Science, College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, 680656 Thrissur, Kerala, India
4
Molecular Biodiversity Lab, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College, The Nilgiris, Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu 643002, India
5
Institute for Biodiversity Conservation and Training, #5, 7th Main Road, Shankar Nagar, Bangalore, Karnataka 560096, India
Bats are a highly threatened group of mammals fronting population drop owing to several reasons. These keystone species play a pivotal role in the modulating ecosystem in which they live. They are responsible for pollination and long-distance dispersal of seeds and fruits, by which it influences the lifecycle of tropical plants (Castaño et al. 2018). Reducing the abundance of such vital species can lead to diminished seed dispersal and pollin
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