Exploring the Potential Distribution of Relic <i>Trochodendron aralioides</i>: An Approach Using Open-Access Resources and Free Software

Abstract

Trochodendron aralioides Siebold & Zucc. is a relic tree that is discontinuously scattered across the mountainous areas of Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, but the origin of T. aralioides in South Korea is still unclear and debated. To confirm its distribution and explore its origins, we constructed a streamlined framework to examine potential species distribution using multiple open access data and free and open-source software, as well as employing maximum entropy principles to predict the potential distribution of T. aralioides. The results showed reasonably good discrimination and were used to examine and discuss the explicit distribution of T. aralioides. The potential distribution of T. aralioides in Japan extended from Iriomote Island to approximately 37° N in Honshu on the Pacific Ocean side. In Taiwan, the potential distribution of T. aralioides was more common than in Japan. It occurred at 1500–3000 m a.s.l. across the Central Mountain Range and decreased toward the northern and southern tips, correlating to the descending pattern of the cloud belt. Thermal and moisture conditions were important factors to determine the distribution of T. aralioides. The potential distribution indicated that Jeju island had high potential as a habitat for T. aralioides, and that may indirectly imply its existence and origins in South Korea, as some researchers have noted.

Keywords

• <i>Trochodendron aralioides</i>
• species distribution modeling
• open-access resources
• free software
• MaxEnt