Solving the “species bias” to facilitate orchid multi-scenario conservation planning in the south of the Hengduan Mountains

Abstract

Abstract detailed analyses of specific taxonomic groups at finer geographic scales to identify and prioritize biodiversity hotspots is a prominent method for optimizing conservation efforts, especially for the uneven species richness. The ecological suitability prediction and analysis of representative species provide vital references for conservation planning. Yet, in predicting suitability for multi-species or groups by species distribution models (SDMs) under a highly heterogeneous environment, species bias may occur cause of the unequal protection status and the spatial autocorrelation processing of occurrence data. For this, diversity, and protection hotspots were mapped in the south of the Hengduan Mountains, a significant site for global biodiversity. Specifically, creating a network of 1 km2 grid cells spanning the region, counting the orchid species, quantifying the protection value, and classifying attributes by the Jenks. And 5 km and 10 m buffer zone for each grid containing attributes compose the diversity and protection hotspot layers and were compared with the orchid suitability map modeled by SDMs. Results showed that even though there were extensively suitable habitats for orchids, the model results cannot completely cover whole the diversity and protection hotspots at any scale. Based on the map attributes, multi-scenario conservation planning was proposed. This study identifies the critical areas of suitability, diversity, and protection of orchids in this region, providing a meaningful reference for regional biodiversity conservation planning and producing a migrated method for biogeographic analysis in global biodiversity hotspots not just orchids. Besides, the results will supply crucial regional information for global biodiversity conservation.