Predicting the suitable habitats of parasitic desert species based on a niche model with Haloxylon ammodendron and Cistanche deserticola as examples

Haloxylon ammodendron, an excellent tree species for sand fixation and afforestation in the desert areas of western China, is threatened by climate change and anthropogenic activities. The suitable habitat of this species is shrinking at a remarkable rate, although conservation measures have been implemented. Cistanche deserticola is an entirely parasitic herb that occurs in deserts, is a source of “desert ginseng” worldwide, and has extremely high medicinal value. Little is known about using niche models to simulate habitat suitability and evaluate important environmental variables related to parasitic species. In this study, we modeled the current suitable habitat of H. ammodendron and C. deserticola by MaxEnt based on occurrence record data of the distributions of these two species in China. We grouped H. ammodendron and C. deserticola into three groups according to the characteristics of parasitic species and modeled them with environmental factors. The results showed that bioclimate was the most important environmental parameter affecting the H. ammodendron and C. deserticola distribution. Precipitations, such as annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation in the driest quarter, were identified as the most critical parameters. The slope, diurnal temperature range, water vapor pressure, ground‐frost frequency, and solar radiation also substantially contributed to the distribution of the two species. The proportions of the most suitable areas for Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 1.2%, 1.3%, and 1.7%, respectively, in China. When combined with cultural geography, five hot spot conservation areas were determined within the distribution of H. ammodendron and C. deserticola. The comprehensive analysis indicated that by using MaxEnt to model the suitable habitat of parasitic species, we further improved the accuracy of the prediction and coupled the error of the distribution of a single species. This study provides a useful reference for the protection of H. ammodendron forests and the management of C. deserticola plantations.