Simulating the effects of climate change across the geographical distribution of two medicinal plants in the genus Nardostachys

PeerJ

article

Haiqing Yu¹  Wenguo Wang²  Yang He³  Junjun Li³  Jie Wu¹  Kezhong Peng¹  Gang Fan³ 

[1] Ganzi Prefecture Forest Research Institute;Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture;College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

关键词: Nardostachys jatamansi;    Climate change;    Nardostachys;    Maxent;    Potential distribution;    Nardostachys chinensis;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.6730

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Background The medicinal plants of Radix et Rhizoma Nardostachyos include Nardostachys jatamansi and N. chinensis. Traditionally, the two plants have been used to treat many diseases. Because of their special aroma, they are also commonly used in the food and cosmetics industry. Recently, N. jatamansi and N. chinensis have been overexploited due to their economic importance, resulting in a sharp decline in their wild resources. Predicting potential distributions of the genus Nardostachys under different climate scenarios and understanding its preferred habitat are of great significance for their conservation, artificial cultivation, and assessment of their value. Methods The Maxent model was used to predict the potential geographical distributions of the genus Nardostachys under current and future climatic conditions based on two representative concentration pathways (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5) for the 2050s and 2070s. These data were used to study the effects of climate variables. Results The results show that the potential distribution of the two species will increase, thus more suitable habitats will be present in China. The suitable habitat for N. chinensis presents a relatively stable growth compared to N. jatamansi. In addition, precipitation plays a crucial role in modeling the effects of climate change on the genus Nardostachys. This study provides theoretical guidance for the cultivation of N. chinensis.

【 授权许可】

CC BY