Abstract: In order to explore the potential suitable living region of Tomistoma schlegelii in China and the impact of various environmental variables on their geographical distribution, based on the geographical distribution records of Tomistoma schlegelii and seven environmental variables, maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model is used to simulate the potential distribution of Tomistoma schlegelii in China. Contribution rate, replacement importance and Jackknife test are used to evaluate the environmental variables that potentially play important roles in restricting the geographical distribution of Tomistoma schlegelii. The results show that the highly suitable living region for Tomistoma schlegelii in China is mainly located in southwestern Guangxi, southern Guangdong, southwestern Fujian and northeastern Taiwan provinces. The analysis of environmental variables shows that the main climate factors affecting the distribution of Tomistoma schlegelii are the precipitation in the warmest quarter, the lowest temperature in the coldest month and the precipitation in the driest month. It is concluded that when the minimum temperature in the coldest month is greater than 21.4 $ ^{\circ} $C, the precipitation in the driest month is greater than 116 mm, the annual temperature variation range is within 6.6–11.0 $ ^{\circ} $C, and the precipitation in the warmest quarter is maintained between 550–1 530 mm, the environment is most suitable for the survival of Tomistoma schlegelii. The results provide a theoretical basis for the protection of Tomistoma schlegelii and their artificial breeding in the suitable region in China.
Keywords: Tomistoma schlegelii; maximum entropy(MaxEnt) model; environmental variables; habitat suitability
合肥工业大学学报自科版