Prediction of suitable habitats and diversity loss under climate change
After eliminating highly correlated factors, we implemented six factors to construct species distribution models, including three precipitation-related (BIO06, BIO08, BIO09) and three temperature-related (BIO13, BIO14, BIO19) variables. Sixty models were generated with high predictive accuracies with an AUC of 0.97 (SD = 0.005). The response curves and relative importance (Fig. S9) showed that the occurrence of P. bengalensis is fundamentally limited by the precipitation of the driest month (BIO14), the precipitation of the coldest month (BIO19) and the temperature of the wettest quarter (BIO08). Using the consensus predictions (TSS = 0.91, SD = 0.032), suitable habitat for P. bengalensis will have shrunk by 2070 under both emission models, with the predicted contraction according to the model of increased global warming (RCP 8.5) being more pronounced (Fig. 7). In 2070, habitats at lower altitudes and in southern mountainous regions are less suitable, and a reduction in highly suitable habitats further to the north and in rugged mountainous regions is also predicted. There were no significant differences in any of the diversity indices among groups (all with P > 0.05) according to the two values of habitat suitability we used.