Modeling of Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne habitat suitability using maximum entropy method in Hormozgan province

Subject Areas : Applications in biodiversity conservation and management

cyrus madahi nejad ¹ , Yahya Esmaeilpour ² , Marziyeh Rezai ³

1 - Ph.D. Candidate of Combatting desertification, Natural Resources Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Resources Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas
3 - Assistant Professor of Natural Resources Engineering, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran

Received: 2021-12-27 Accepted : 2022-02-04 Published : 2023-03-21

Keywords: Climatic factors, Acacia tortilis (Forssk. Hayne), Maximum Entropy, Habitat suitability,

Abstract :

Factors affecting the distribution of plant species include climate, soil properties, topography, land use, and total biological relationships. Climate is one of the most important factors in the distribution of plant species. The present study was conducted to predict the geographical distribution of Acacia tortilis (Forssk. Hayne), to find important environmental factors and to investigate the tolerance of the species to environmental factors in Hormozgan province. According to the purpose, vegetation information and habitat factors such as elevation, climate, geology and soil were collected. Vegetation sampling was done randomly-systematically by plotting along 4 transects of 200-1000 m. Map of environmental variables was prepared using GIS. Then, prediction maps related to species distribution were prepared using entropy modeling method. The accuracy of the obtained prediction models was evaluated using AUC statistics. In general, the results showed that the variables of total rainfall in the hottest season, seasonal changes of rainfall (coefficient of variation), total rainfall of the lowest rainfall of the year, average temperature of the driest season, average of the warmest season are the most important climatic characteristics. They affect the distribution of Acacia tortilis (Forssk. Hayne).characteristics. They affect the distribution of Acacia tortilis (Forssk. Hayne).The results of this study can solve the problems facing habitat management. In fact, when a species is threatened by habitat destruction, by recognizing the factors to which the species is highly dependent, conservation plans can be proposed according to the habitat needs of the species.