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Acacia mearnsii, among the 100 worst invasive weeds worldwide, negatively impacts native biodiversity, agriculture, and natural ecosystems. Global climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, enhances the risk of A. mearnsii invasion in Asia, making it crucial to identify high-risk areas for effective management. This study performed species distribution modeling using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm to predict the potential introduction and spread of A. mearnsii under various climate scenarios based on shared socio-economic pathways (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). Currently, only 4.35% of Asia is invaded, with a high invasion risk identified in six countries, including Bhutan, Lebanon, and Taiwan, where more than 75% of their areas are threatened. Under future climate scenarios, 21 countries face invasion risk, among which 14 countries, such as Georgia, Laos, Republic of Korea, and Turkey, are at moderate to very high risk, potentially encompassing up to 87.89% of their territories. Conversely, Northern Asian countries exhibit minimal changes in invasion risk and are considered relatively safe from invasion. These findings underscore that climate change will exacerbate invasion risks across Asia, emphasizing the urgent need for robust management strategies, including stringent quarantine measures and control efforts, to mitigate the threat of A. mearnsii expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat suitability analysis using species distribution models (SDMs) presents a valuable approach for determining appropriate land utilization strategies and crop planting decisions, which are vital to achieve optimal agricultural productivity and ensure environmental sustainability in the context of rapid global change. Aside abiotic conditions, pests emerge as the most important biological factor affecting crop growth. It can be an effective avenue to comprehensively assess land use suitability by building and integrating SDMs for both crops and their pests. Using the MaxEnt model and a bivariate map, we predicted and integrated the habitat suitability of tea (Camellia sinensis) and its primary insect herbivore (Empoasca onukii) in China. Our study explicitly revealed spatial heterogeneity in suitability between the two species, despite finding that they shared common environmental predictors (i.e., temperature, elevation, and soil pH). Results support South China and Southwest China as the most favorable areas for tea cultivation, while highlighting the adverse climatic challenges on tea growth in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and in the northern regions of the Yangtze River. Meanwhile, analyses emphasize the necessity of sustainable leafhopper management strategies in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and in regions along the southeast coast. These findings demonstrate the significance of comparative analysis on the habitat suitability of both crops and insect herbivores, providing valuable insights for agricultural production planning and sustainable pest management. Furthermore, the methods employed in this study hold potential for the application in diverse context, ranging from the control of invasive species to the conservation of endangered biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic activities and global climate change increase the risk of Chromolaena odorata invasion and habitat expansion. To predict its global distribution and habitat suitability under climate change, a random forest (RF) model was employed. The RF model, utilizing default parameters, analyzed species presence data and background information. The model revealed that the current spatial distribution of C. odorata covers 7,892,447 km2. Predictions for 2061– 2080 indicate expansion of suitable habitat (42.59 and 46.30%), reduction of suitable habit (12.92 and 12.20%), and preservation of suitable habitat (87.08 and 87.80%) under the SSP (Shared Socio-economic Pathway) 2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios, respectively, in comparison to the present distribution. Currently, C. odorata is predominantly found in South America, with limited presence in other continents. However, the data suggest that climate change will elevate the global invasion risk of C. odorata worldwide, particularly in Oceania, Africa, and Australia. Countries such as Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Lesotho, which currently have unsuitable habitats, are predicted to have highly suitable habitats with climate change, supporting the idea that global habitat expansion for C. odorata will occur due to climate change. This study indicates that proper management of C. odorata is crucial during the early invasion phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]