The Extinction Trajectory of the Crimean Juniper (Juniperus excelsa) Species in Central Anatolia Under Global Climate Change

Ahmet Acarer

Article Details

The Extinction Trajectory of the Crimean Juniper (Juniperus excelsa) Species in Central Anatolia Under Global Climate Change

Authors:

Ahmet Acarer

Publisher:

Duzce University

Main Topics:

Ormancılık Yönetimi ve Çevre

Journal:

Düzce Üniversitesi Orman Fakültesi Ormancılık Dergisi Vol.21 Issue 1, pp.646-672

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352998

pISSN:

2148-7871

Keywords:

Abstract:

 The Crimean juniper Juniperus excelsa species belonging to the Juniperus genus, which is a species native to various harsh environments, exhibits remarkable resilience, especially in droughts. However, due to changing climate conditions on a global scale, Crimean juniper distribution is at a critical junction. This study aims to delineate both the current and potential distribution models of Crimean juniper in the Central Anatolian region. To achieve this, the Maximum Entropy MaxEnt modelling approach was employed, incorporating environmental and climatic variables from the Chelsa dataset. The model results identified mean annual air temperature, elevation, precipitation of the driest month, and roughness index as key contributors to the species current distribution. The model demonstrated strong performance, with an AUC of 0.888 for the training dataset and 0.792 for the test dataset, classifying it as a good model. In this context, simulations were conducted for the years 2070 and 2100 under three different scenarios SSP1-2.6, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5, based on the current distribution map of Crimean juniper. The simulation outcomes indicated that by 2070, the species distribution will experience significant decrease and fragmentation, with the potential for near complete disappearance by 2100. In conclusion, this study underscores the detrimental impacts of global climate change on the distribution of Crimean juniper in the Central Anatolian region.

 The Crimean juniper Juniperus excelsa species belonging to the Juniperus genus, which is a species native to various harsh environments, exhibits remarkable resilience, especially in droughts. However, due to changing climate conditions on a global scale, Crimean juniper distribution is at a critical junction. This study aims to delineate both the current and potential distribution models of Crimean juniper in the Central Anatolian region. To achieve this, the Maximum Entropy MaxEnt modelling approach was employed, incorporating environmental and climatic variables from the Chelsa dataset. The model results identified mean annual air temperature, elevation, precipitation of the driest month, and roughness index as key contributors to the species current distribution. The model demonstrated strong performance, with an AUC of 0.888 for the training dataset and 0.792 for the test dataset, classifying it as a good model. In this context, simulations were conducted for the years 2070 and 2100 under three different scenarios SSP1-2.6, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5, based on the current distribution map of Crimean juniper. The simulation outcomes indicated that by 2070, the species distribution will experience significant decrease and fragmentation, with the potential for near complete disappearance by 2100. In conclusion, this study underscores the detrimental impacts of global climate change on the distribution of Crimean juniper in the Central Anatolian region.

 The Crimean juniper Juniperus excelsa species belonging to the Juniperus genus, which is a species native to various harsh environments, exhibits remarkable resilience, especially in droughts. However, due to changing climate conditions on a global scale, Crimean juniper distribution is at a critical junction. This study aims to delineate both the current and potential distribution models of Crimean juniper in the Central Anatolian region. To achieve this, the Maximum Entropy MaxEnt modelling approach was employed, incorporating environmental and climatic variables from the Chelsa dataset. The model results identified mean annual air temperature, elevation, precipitation of the driest month, and roughness index as key contributors to the species current distribution. The model demonstrated strong performance, with an AUC of 0.888 for the training dataset and 0.792 for the test dataset, classifying it as a good model. In this context, simulations were conducted for the years 2070 and 2100 under three different scenarios SSP1-2.6, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5, based on the current distribution map of Crimean juniper. The simulation outcomes indicated that by 2070, the species distribution will experience significant decrease and fragmentation, with the potential for near complete disappearance by 2100. In conclusion, this study underscores the detrimental impacts of global climate change on the distribution of Crimean juniper in the Central Anatolian region.

 Juniperus cinsine ait olan ve çeşitli zorlu ortamlara özgü bir tür olan Boylu ardıç Juniperus excelsa türü, özellikle kuraklıklarda dikkate değer bir dayanıklılık sergilemektedir. Ancak, küresel ölçekte değişen iklim koşulları nedeniyle, Boylu ardıç dağılımı kritik bir durumdadır. Bu çalışma, Orta Anadolu bölgesinde Boylu ardıçın hem mevcut hem de potansiyel dağılım modeli ve haritalanması ortaya koyulması amaçlamaktadır. Bunu başarmak için, Chelsa veri setindeki iklim ve çevresel değişkenlerin modellenmesini sağlayan Maksimum Entropi MaxEnt modelleme yaklaşımı kullanılmıştır. Boylu ardıç model sonuçları, ortalama yıllık hava sıcaklığını, yüksekliği, en kurak ayın yağışını ve pürüzlülük indeksini türün mevcut dağılımına önemli katkıda bulunanlar olarak belirlemiştir. Model, eğitim veri seti için 0,888 ve test veri seti için 0,792lik bir AUC ile güçlü bir performans göstererek onu iyi bir model olarak sınıflandırmıştır. Bu bağlamda, Boylu ardıçın güncel dağılım haritasına dayanarak, üç farklı senaryo SSP1-2.6, SSP3-7.0 ve SSP5-8.5 altında 2070 ve 2100 yılları için simülasyonlar yürütülmüştür. Simülasyon sonuçları, türün dağılımının 2070 yılına kadar önemli ölçüde azalacağını ve parçalanacağını, 2100 yılına kadar ise neredeyse tamamen yok olma potansiyeline sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. Sonuç olarak, bu çalışma küresel iklim değişikliğinin Orta Anadolu bölgesinde Kırım ardıcının dağılımı üzerindeki olumsuz etkilerini vurgulamaktadır.

Article Details

The Extinction Trajectory of the Crimean Juniper (Juniperus excelsa) Species in Central Anatolia Under Global Climate Change

Authors:

Ahmet Acarer

Publisher:

Duzce University

Main Topics:

Ormancılık Yönetimi ve Çevre

Journal:

Düzce Üniversitesi Orman Fakültesi Ormancılık Dergisi Vol.21 Issue 1, pp.646-672

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352998

pISSN:

2148-7871

Crimean juniper

Climate change

Geographical distribution

Maximum entropy

Modelling and mappingBoylu ardıç

İklim değişikliği

Coğrafi dağılım

Maksimum entropi

Modelleme ve haritalama

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Ahmet Acarer

Publisher: Duzce University

Main Topics: Ormancılık Yönetimi ve Çevre

Journal: Düzce Üniversitesi Orman Fakültesi Ormancılık Dergisi Vol.21 Issue 1, pp.646-672

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2025

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001352998

pISSN: 2148-7871

Issues

Authors:

Ahmet Acarer

Publisher:

Duzce University

Main Topics:

Ormancılık Yönetimi ve Çevre

Journal:

Düzce Üniversitesi Orman Fakültesi Ormancılık Dergisi Vol.21 Issue 1, pp.646-672

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352998

pISSN:

2148-7871