Modeling habitat suitability of Dipterocarpus alatus (Dipterocarpaceae) using MaxEnt along the Chao Phraya River in Central Thailand

Abstract

Dipterocarpus alatus plays a dominant role in the ecology and economics of riparian forests in Thailand. Using MaxEnt modeling, we identified potentially suitable regions for D. alatus along the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand. The modeling procedure used 465 occurrence records and 19 Worldclim environmental factors as well as aspect, slope and elevation data. The results indicated that precipitation is the key influential factor affecting the distribution of D. alatus. Highly suitable regions for this species included Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Loburi, Phra Nakhon Si Ayudhya, and Ang Thong Provinces along the Chao Phraya River. The statistically significant area under the receiver operating characteristics curve value (0.904) indicated that MaxEnt can be used to accurately predict suitable regions for growing commercially valuable plants such as D. alatus. These model results can facilitate habitat conservation and sustainable resource utilization of rare and important plants.