Habitat Suitability and Conservation of Two Tree Species in Tropical Thorn Forests
Author Information
Author(s): Hussain Majid, Akhtar Hassan, Saqib Zafeer, Khan Muhammad Tayyab, Afridi Zarak Khan, Afzal Hasnain, Habiba Ume, Khalil Sangam, Raza Ghulam, Rahman Hamid Ur, Shah Sher, Yousaf Muhammad Sohail, Alahmadi Tahani Awad
Primary Institution: Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, The University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Hypothesis
What is the habitat suitability and conservation status of Salvadora oleoides and Tamarix aphylla in tropical thorn forests?
Conclusion
The study found that both Salvadora oleoides and Tamarix aphylla are distributed throughout the tropical thorn forest of the Bahawalpur subdivision, with S. oleoides classified as endangered and T. aphylla as vulnerable.
Supporting Evidence
- The MaxEnt model showed high accuracy for S. oleoides with an AUC of 0.976 and for T. aphylla with an AUC of 0.987.
- S. oleoides is classified as endangered due to habitat loss and exploitation.
- T. aphylla is considered vulnerable with a 40% population decrease.
- Conservation measures are essential to protect the habitats of both species.
Takeaway
This study looks at where two types of trees can grow in a special forest and how we can help protect them.
Methodology
Field surveys were conducted to collect data on the presence of the species, and habitat suitability was modeled using MaxEnt software with 19 bioclimatic variables.
Limitations
The study only sampled 0.01% of the total forest area, which may not fully represent the species' distribution.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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