ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. For. Glob. Change
Sec. Forest Management
Volume 8 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2025.1624716
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Oak Ecology and Silviculture: Challenges and InnovationsView all articles
Mapping Oak Diversity and Habitat Suitability Using Multi-Species Niche Modeling
Provisionally accepted
- 1Norfolk State University, Norfolk, United States
- 2Texas A&M International University, Laredo, United States
- 3university of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
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Oak (Quercus) diversity is a defining feature of North American forests, comprising over 75% of the region's vegetation. Oaks play a vital role in supporting numerous wildlife species by providing essential food and habitat resources, while also contributing to carbon storage, soil stabilization, and cultural and economic values. Arkansas, with its highly diverse biogeography, offers suitable conditions for a wide range of oak species, leading to the formation of varied vegetation communities. The purpose of this study is to assess the diversity (species richness) of the Quercus genus across the state of Arkansas using multi species niche modelling. Geographic coordinates of 5,987 herbarium records, representing 26 native Oak species, were compiled. We employed an ensemble species distribution modeling approach to predict suitable habitat areas for oak species and to identify hotspots. Our results showed that mean temperature of driest month, precipitation of warmest month, and mean diurnal range contributed > 80% the model prediction. The highest oak richness in Arkansas was found in Crowley's Ridge and Mississippi Valley Loess Plains, each supporting 20 Quercus species, followed by Arkansas River Valley and Ozark highlands with 18 species each. Considering growing concerns over oak forest decline due to anthropogenic and climate change, this study offers valuable insights for conservation, assessment, management strategies, and silviculture planning of oak species in the region.
Keywords: Oak species richness, Climate Change, Oak diversity, Species DistributionModelling, Arkansas
Received: 07 May 2025; Accepted: 09 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Subedi, Bhandari and Adhikari. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Suresh Chandra Subedi, subedi.suresh@gmail.com
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