MaxEnt modeling in predicting habitat suitability for Syzygium alternifolium - An endangered species from Eastern Ghats, India.

Abstract Syzygium alternifolium (Wight) Walp. is a medium-sized tree economically exploited locally for its medicinal uses. Its seeds, fruit pulp, leaves and bark are used locally in ayurvedic medicines for the treatment of various ailments. It is an endemic and endangered species that is narrowly confined to the southern parts of Eastern Ghats, India. To understand its ecological and geographic distribution and to identify potential habitats for its introduction/reintroduction to assist its recovery from the endangered category, we used MaxEnt for ecological niche modeling (ENM), taking one hundred sixty-six species occurrences and twenty-six climatic and topographical datasets as input. The MaxEnt model has identified five variables having maximum bearing on S. alternifolium distribution and has successfully reconstructed the species’ geographic distribution in the Seshachalam, Veligonda and Lankamalla hill ranges of Eastern Ghats. The model predicts 95% of the study area to be potentially least suitable for S. alternifolium , whereas only 5% of the study area is predicted to be moderate to highly potentially suitable for the species. Furthermore, the model identified novel, potential habitats with similar ecological conditions that can be used as a guide for the introduction/reintroduction of S. alternifolium to expand its range and assist in species recovery from its endangered category.