Biogeographic barriers and environmental gradients reveal distribution limits in Hynobius salamanders.

ABSTRACT: This study investigates the biogeographic barriers and environmental gradients that influence the distribution and niche segregation of seven Hynobius salamander species in South Korea. Using Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) developed with the Maxent software and 48 environmental variables, we conducted four niche overlap tests for each species pair: niche identity tests and background similarity tests to assess niche differentiation, lineage-breaking tests to evaluate species boundaries in relation to environmental shifts, and ribbon tests to determine whether unsuitable habitats serve as distributional barriers. The results indicated that significant biogeographic barriers, including both physical features such as rivers and mountains and environmental gradients, influence the range segreg

SUBMITTER: Um TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12583743 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature