A brighter shade of future climate on Himalayan musk deer Moschus leucogaster.

ABSTRACT: Himalayan musk deer (Moschus leucogaster) is classified as an endangered species by IUCN with a historically misunderstood distribution due to misidentification with other species of musk deer, Moschus spp. Taking advantage of recent genetic analyses confirming the species of various populations in Nepal and China, we produced an accurate estimate of the species' current and future distribution under multiple climate change scenarios. We collected high-quality occurrence data using systematic surveys of various protected areas of Nepal to train species distribution models. The most influential determinants of the distribution of Himalayan musk deer were precipitation of the driest quarter, temperature seasonality, and annual mean temperature. These variables, and precipitation in particula

SUBMITTER: Mainali KP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10406878 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature