首页|Using remotely sensed and climate data to predict the current and potential future geographic distribution of a bird at multiple scales: the case of Agelastes meleagrides, a western African forest endemic

Using remotely sensed and climate data to predict the current and potential future geographic distribution of a bird at multiple scales: the case of Agelastes meleagrides, a western African forest endemic

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Background:Understanding geographic distributions of species is a crucial step in spatial planning for biodiversity conservation, particularly as regards changes in response to global climate change. This information is especially important for species of global conservation concern that are susceptible to the effects of habitat loss and climate change. In this study, we used ecological niche modeling to assess the current and future geographic distributional potential of White-breasted Guineafowl (Agelastes meleagrides) (Vulnerable) across West Africa. Methods: We used primary occurrence data obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and national parks in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and two independent environmental datasets (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer normalized difference vegetation index at 250 m spatial resolution, and Worldclim climate data at 2.5′ spatial resolution for two representative concentration pathway emissions scenarios and 27 general circulation models for 2050) to build ecological niche models in Maxent. Results: From the projections, White-breasted Guineafowl showed a broader potential distribution across the region compared to the current IUCN range estimate for the species. Suitable areas were concentrated in the Gola rainforests in northwestern Liberia and southeastern Sierra Leone, the Tai-Sapo corridor in southeastern Liberia and southwest-ern Côte d’Ivoire, and the Nimba Mountains in northern Liberia, southeastern Guinea, and northwestern Côte d’Ivoire. Future climate-driven projections anticipated minimal range shifts in response to climate change. Conclusions: By combining remotely sensed data and climatic data, our results suggest that forest cover, rather than climate is the major driver of the species’ current distribution. Thus, conservation efforts should prioritize forest protec-tion and mitigation of other anthropogenic threats (e.g. hunting pressure) affecting the species.

Climate changeConservationConservation planningEcological niche modelingSpecies distributionUpper Guinea ForestWhite-breasted Guineafowl

Benedictus Freeman、Daniel Jiménez-García、Benjamin Barca、Matthew Grainger

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Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA

Centro de Agroecoloía y Ambiente, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

Royal Society for the Protec-tion of Birds, Gola Rainforest National Park, Kailahun, Sierra Leone

School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK

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Conservation International through a Global Environment Facility

GEF-5810

2019

鸟类学研究(英文版)
北京林业大学

鸟类学研究(英文版)

CSCDSCI
影响因子:0.553
ISSN:2055-6187
年,卷(期):2019.10(3)
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