Authors:V. B. Sreekumar, R.Sasi
Abstract:We used maximum entropy distribution modeling (MaxEnt) for predicting the potential habitat suitability for Calamus lakshmanae, an endemic rattan found in Western Ghats, India. Of the twelve environmental variables tested, Bio 2 (Mean Diurnal Range), Bio 5 (Maximum Temperature of Warmest Month) and Bio 12 (Annual Precipitation) are the main variables contributing the prediction. The result of jackknife test indicated that the prediction is significantly better than at random (P < 0.05). The test and training Area under Curve (AUC) values (Training: 0.958; Test: 0.974; Number of Occurrences: 7) were also higher (above 0.97) which implies that the model is accurate and justifies the construction of final niche model with all the available points. The species predicted high suitability in forests of New Amarambalam Reserve, Kakkayam, Aralam, Kottiyur, Wayanad WLS, Tirunelli, Virajpet and Talakkaveri. The approach presented here appears to be quite promising in predicting suitable habitat for endemic and threatened species with small sample records and can be an effective tool for biodiversity conservation planning, monitoring and management
Keywords:Area Under the Curve (AUC), Maximum entropy (MaxEnt), Environmental variables, Geographical distribution, Habitat Suitability, Calamus