Future projections and ecological modeling for the distribution of non-conventional food plants

Abstract

The importance of non-conventional food plants has been evidenced due to their great potential for phenotypic plasticity, resilience and resistance to permanence in inhospitable places. This study aimed to evaluate the natural distribution of two of these species (Eryngium foetidum and Fridericia chica) in the present period (2009-2019) and the projection for two future climate scenarios (RCP 4.5 - “less pessimistic” and RCP 8.5 - “more pessimistic”) in two-time intervals (2020-2050 and 2051-2070), in the six Brazilian phytogeographic domains. Nineteen bioclimatic variables obtained from the WorldClim database and four algorithm models were tested: Climate Space Model, Envelope Score, Niche Mosaic and Environmental Distance. The Environmental Distance algorithm presented the best discrimination of the models adjusted for the two species. From the projections, it is possible to perceive that the species are severely affected in the phytogeographic domains of the Amazon, Pantanal and Pampa, becoming practically extinct in the RCP 8.5 scenario, for the period of 2051-2070.