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Symplocos, a genus rich in endemic and keystone species in China's subtropical forests, plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity. Climate change impacts on Symplocos trees affect ecosystem composition, dynamics, and functions. This study delves into the potential ramifications of climate change on the distribution and richness of Symplocos species across China under different climatic conditions. A comprehensive analysis was conducted using occurrence records of 29 species of Symplocos, focusing on habitat suitability modeling and spatial analysis, to demonstrate the possible effects of climate change on the distribution and diversity patterns of Symplocos species in China. Environmental data, including bioclimatic variables, were collected, and the future climate scenarios were projected using the combined average of the two global climate models. Four modeling algorithms were applied in an ensemble species distribution models to assess the distribution of Symplocos species and decipher the pattern of species richness and endemism. The results indicate high accuracy and performance of the models with a mean AUC of 0.94 and TSS of 0.77, particularly the random forest. The analysis identified key bioclimatic variables influencing Symplocos species distribution, with precipitation patterns (precipitation of driest month and precipitation of warmest quarter) and temperature variability (temperature mean diurnal range) playing significant roles. Predictions suggest a reduction in Symplocos species richness over the next six decades, particularly in southern and southwestern China, with potential gains in other regions. Overall, this study highlights the vulnerability of Symplocos species to climate change and underscores the importance of proactive conservation efforts and forest plantations to mitigate future loss in Symplocos species diversity.

Global change effects on species are most pronounced when there is a large mismatch between past climate conditions, and the present climate, and this chasm will grow as global change proceeds without mitigation. Global change encompasses the alteration of temperature and precipitation patterns worldwide and these drivers can both increase the risk of species extirpation, and extinction. Juniperus phoenicea is an endemic plant species in the Mediterranean region of high conservation concern. Ensemble distribution models and the potential impact of future climate scenarios revealed that temperature, isothermality, and precipitation are the only significant bioclimatic factors affecting the geographical distribution of J. phoenicea. To study the potential impact of global change, we constrained the SDMs with a combination of two shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs) climate scenarios in the near (2030) and far (2090) future, together with two dispersal scenarios (full and limited). After removing incompatible regions based on current land-use distribution, the comparison of the current and future areas of occupancy revealed strong declines in the distribution of J. phoenicea. Applying the IUCN criteria, the species is predicted in all scenarios to be up-listed from the currently ''least-concern'' status to the ''vulnerable'', and potentially to the ''critically endangered'' status under the highest emission scenario in 2090. The range shifts predicted by our analysis draws attention to regions with stable distribution, and others predicted to become favorable for the species establishment. This information is essential for future conservation planning, including afforestation and reforestation programs.

About one third of the earth’s land surface is covered by deserts that have low and variable rainfall, nutrient-poor soils, and little vegetation cover. Here, we focus on the goods and services offered by desert ecosystems using the northwestern coastal desert of Egypt extending from Burg El-Arab to El-Salloum as an example. We conducted field surveys and collected other data to identify the goods services and provided by native plant species. A total of 322 native plant species were compiled. The direct services provided by these native plants included sources of food, medicine, and energy; indirect vegetation services included promotion of biodiversity, water storage, and soil fertility. The plant diversity in this ecosystem provided economic service benefits, such as sources of fodder, fuel-wood, and traditional medicinal plants. Changes in land use and recent ill-managed human activities may influence the availability of these services and strongly impact biodiversity and habitat availability. Although deserts are fragile and support low levels of productivity, they provide a variety of goods and services whose continuing availability is contingent upon the adoption of rational land management practices.