Work

Future Climate Change Will Severely Threaten the Current Habitat of Ichthyophis kohtaoensis in China

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT In the context of climate change, species extinction and biodiversity loss of amphibians have become widespread concerns. Assessing the impacts of climate change on amphibians is a basis for understanding their survival and developing effective conservation strategies. However, some fundamental information, such as the distribution area and determinants of a rare caecilian species ( Ichthyophis kohtaoensis ), remains largely scarce. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic and integrative investigation by extensive field survey and literature collection to outline the geographic range of this species. With the distribution database, we employed species distribution models to assess the impacts of climate change and human activities on its distribution under current and two future climate scenarios with different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP1‐2.6 and SSP5‐8.5). The results indicate that the current distribution of I. kohtaoensis is approximately 186 420 km 2 , and climate variables are the dominant factor in determining its distribution. Moreover, its current potential habitat area may decrease by more than 42.5%, facing a risk of extinction under climate change. In addition, habitat loss is more severe under the high‐emission scenario (SSP5‐8.5) than under the low‐emission scenario (SSP1‐2.6), reflecting the species’ sensitivity to climate change. This study also provides fundamental information to guide future population‐rediscovery efforts for I. kohtaoensis and to inform the development of conservation strategies and implementation.

Source: Integrative Zoology

DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.70116