GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION AND POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTION ESTIMA-TION OF PSEUDOTAXUS CHIENII

Aims Estimating species potential distribution based on observed occurrence records in combination with environmental variables is very important for conservation of rare and endangered species. Pseudotaxus chienii, endemic to southeastern China, is a relic species with a restricted distribu-tion. Our object is to use the specimen records to study the distribution of P. chienii and estimate the potential distribution with the climate data. Methods Diva-Gis software is used to describe the distribution and abundance of P. chienii with alti-tude layer and land vegetation layer. Bioclim and Domain models embed in the Diva-Gis software are used to estimate the potential distribution of P. chienii with the specimen occurrence and bioclimate data. Important findings Pseudotaxus chienii is distributed in the low to medium altitude mountain forests of southeast China. Its resource is enriched in particular in Zhejiang Province. The geographical distri-bution of P. chienii is strikingly correlated with vegetation and altitude. It shows preference to evergreen shrub, evergreen broad-leaved, evergreen broad-leaved and needle leaved mixed forest; the lowest ele-vation rises but the range of elevation in a certain place narrows from east to west. Potential distribution estimation indicates that the Nanling mountains, the mountain area in NW Hubei province, and the mountain area border between Hubei and Jiangxi are the optimum places for P. chienii to survive. Fu-ture climate warming will fragment the optimum distribution and thus negatively affect the distribution of P. chienii. It suggests that habitat conservation is crucial to P. chienii.