Prediction of the potential suitable area of endemic plant Rhododendron pudingense in Guizhou Province based on MaxEnt model

【Objective】 The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential suitable area of Rhododendron Pudingense in Guizhou Province,to provide distribution data support for the later research of R. Pudingense,and to provide a basis for the planning of its introduction area.【Method】 The GPS location data of R. Pudingense recorded in field surveys was collected. The MaxEnt model was used to simulate potential suitable area of R. pudingense in Guizhou Province,and the contribution rate and Jackknife method were used to to analyze climate,terrain,and soil characteristics in-depth.【Result】 The accuracy of potential suitable area of R. pudingense simulated by MaxEnt software was very high,with an AUC value of test data as 0.970. The moderately and highly suitable areas of R. pudingense were primarily distributed in Anshun City,Qiannan Prefecture and Qianxinan Prefecture. The Jackknife method test and contribution rate results revealed that the dominant environment variable affecting the distribution of R. pudingense were precipitation of the wettest month, altitude,minimum temperature of the coldest month,monthly mean value of the temperature difference between day and night,slope direction and precipitation of the driest quarter,and their contribution rates were 33.7%,16.8%,12.7%, 12.7%,11.1% and 3.6%,respectively. The total suitable area of R. pudingense in Guizhou Province covered about 21500 km²,accounted for 12.2% of the total area of the province,of which the highly,moderately and lowly suitable areas accounted for 2200,4600 and 14700 km² respectively. The potential suitable area of R. pudingense would grow and extend eastward and northward under the two climate scenarios(SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5)for the 2070s.【Suggestion】 In order to successfully promote the conservation of R. pudingense,investigation of R. pudingense distribution sites,specimen collection in acceptable locations,and appropriate planting areas planned according to the distribution of suitable areas, should all be given priority.