Application of the MaxEnt model to evaluate the habitat suitability of dog rose (Rosa canina L.) in the natural landscape of Kadkan (Khorasan Razavi)

Dog rose (Rosa canina L.) is a medicinal-ornamental shrub that has a natural habitat in some regions of Iran. Climatic and geographical conditions of the habitat are the most important factors that have affected the distribution and habitat suitability of this species. Recognizing the factors affecting the habitat suitability of plants is necessary for species conservation programming and cultivation planning in the future. The current study was conducted to identify the factors that affect the habitat suitability of dog rose in the Kadkan region of Khorasan Razavi province using MaxEnt model. Input data included 14 factors of soil data (texture, acidity, electrical conductivity, organic matter and iron sulfate), climate (maximum and minimum temperature mean, annual precipitation mean), topographic (elevation, aspect, slope, plan curvature and hydrological data (topographic wetness index (TWI) and distance to stream). Evaluation of the model efficiency was investigated by the ROC curve and the importance of the variables influenced by the jackknife test. Results were shown that the MaxEnt model had a logical and acceptable efficiency (AUC = 0.866) in detecting the habitat suitability of the dog rose according to species presence points in the study area. The habitat suitability map was distinguished by MaxEnt model into 5 categories: very low, low, medium, high and very high. The area with very high suitability for dog rose growth had the lowest percentage in the investigated area. Results of the evaluation of variables importance showed that the elevation has the greatest effect on the habitat suitability of dog rose in the Kadkan region. Moreover, the acidity, environment relative humidity, TWI, clay, and the amount of iron sulfate in the soil were the other factors that respectively affected the habitat suitability of dog rose. Finally, the 36.5% of studied area in the Kodkan habitat has a high to very high suitability for the growth of Rosa canina L.