Species Distribution Modelling of Orchids in Telangana: Integrating ENM and Conservation Strategies

Abstract

There are few plant families as varied and vulnerable as orchids, which are renowned for their ecological sensitivity and distinctiveness. The orchid flora of Telangana, a state with diverse natural landscapes, is threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and human activity, but has received little attention from researchers. In order to forecast the present and future distribution of the rare orchid species Malaxis insignis in Telangana, this research utilizes Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) in conjunction with environmental and bioclimatic data. The eco-physiological preferences of the species were defined using twenty bioclimatic variables taken from the WorldClim database that are physiologically significant. The model was built using MaxEnt software, which is well-known for its resilience in presence-only data modeling. Training and validation were done using 75% and 25% of the occurrence data, respectively.