Research Article | Published: 31 December 2025

Habitat suitability modeling of Eriolaena lushingtonii – An endemic and vulnerable species of Eastern Ghats

Pochamoni Bharath Simha Yadav, Subbiah Karuppusamy, Byalla Sadasivaiah and Chintala  Sudhakar  Reddy

Indian Journal of Forestry | Volume: 48 | Issue: 3 | Page No. 203-210 | 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54207/bsmps1000-2025-9UL518 | Cite this article

Abstract

Eriolaena lushingtonii Dunn is an endemic and vulnerable tree species of Eastern Ghats, India. Algorithms of species distribution models analyze the relationships between species occurrence and environmental variables to generate predictive maps. The present study aimed to model the potential habitats to identify the environmental factors that determine distribution of E. lushingtonii using ‘MaxEnt’ machine learning model. We used seven bioclimatic variables, and two non-bioclimatic variables (elevation, slope), and species occurrence points to predict suitable habitats. The study used shared Socio-economic Pathways SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios for the 2070s, relying on data from the HadGEM3-GC31-LL climate model. MaxEnt result shows that AUC value of 0.989, indicating exceptional model accuracy. Key factors influencing E. lushingtonii habitat included precipitation of the driest month (Bio-14; 52.4%), elevation (28.3%), Precipitation of the wettest quarter (Bio 16; 13.2%), mean diurnal range (Bio-2; 1.8%), and Precipitation seasonality (Bio 15; 1.2%) were major contributors. The study predicts a decline in E. lushingtonii habitat suitability under future climate change scenarios, providing valuable guidance for conservation efforts.

Keywords

Climate change, HadGEM3-GC31-LL, MaxEnt, SSP2-4.5, SSP5-8.5

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How to cite

Yadav, P., Karuppusamy, S., Sadasivaiah, B. and Reddy, C.S., 2025. Habitat suitability modeling of Eriolaena lushingtonii – An endemic and vulnerable species of Eastern Ghats. Indian Journal of Forestry, 48(3), pp.203-210. https://doi.org/10.54207/bsmps1000-2025-9UL518

Publication History

Manuscript Received on 12 March 2024

Manuscript Revised on 21 June 2025

Manuscript Accepted on 22 September 2025

Manuscript Published on 31 December 2025

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