Prediction of Potential Distribution of Red Imported Fire Ant in China Using the MaxEnt Model

South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510000, China

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Solenopsis invicta Buren is a highly invasive and aggressive species. Since its invasion into China, it has rapidly spread to many regions, seriously threatening the local ecological balance and posing a huge threat to human life safety and agricultural production. To explore the suitable range of Solenopsis invicta Buren in China, this paper based on the distribution data obtained from GBIF database and the environmental factors obtained from the worldclim website to predict the potential geographical distribution of Solenopsis invicta Buren in China under historical climate conditions by MaxEnt model. The results show that the area under the ROC curves (AUC) of the training data is 0.967, which is reliable. Under the historical climate conditions, the potential suitable areas of Solenopsis invicta Buren in China are concentrated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian, Hainan, Taiwan and other provinces. The mean temperature of coldest quarter (bio11) is the most important environmental factor affecting the suitable habitat of Solenopsis invicta Buren in China. The prediction can provide a scientific reference for monitoring the spread of Solenopsis invicta Buren and strengthening the prevention and control management.