Mapping the habitat suitability of species in Africa.

Understanding the influence of environmental covariates on plant distribution is critical, especially for aquatic plant species. Climate change is likely to alter the distribution of aquatic species. However, knowledge of this change on the burden of aquatic macroorganisms is often fraught with difficulty. , a model genus for studying the evolution of the aquatic family Hydrocharitaceae, is mainly distributed in slow-flowing creeks, rivers, or lakes throughout pantropical regions in the world. Due to recent rapid climate changes, natural populations have declined significantly. By modeling the effects of climate change on the distribution of species and assessing the degree of niche similarity, we sought to identify high suitability regions and help formulate conservation strategies. The models use known background points to determine how environmental covariates vary spatially and produce continental maps of the distribution of the species in Africa. Additionally, we estimated the possible influences of the optimistic and extreme pessimistic representative concentration pathways scenarios RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 for the 2050s. Our results show that the distinct distribution patterns of studied species were influenced by topography (elevation) and climate (e.g., mean temperature of driest quarter, annual precipitation, and precipitation of the driest month). While there is a lack of accord in defining the limiting factors for the distribution of species, it is clear that water-temperature conditions have promising effects when kept within optimal ranges. We also note that climate change will impact by accelerating fragmentation and habitat loss. The assessment of niche overlap revealed that and had slightly more similar niches than the other species. The present findings identify the need to enhance conservation efforts to safeguard natural populations and provide a theoretical basis for the distribution of various species in Africa.