Nitraria tangutorum (Zygophyllaceae) is an ecologically and economically valuable shrub, locally dominant in the arid and semi-arid deserts of northwest China owing to its exceptional drought resistance and salt tolerance. In this study, environmental variable importance was evaluated within the MaxEnt model using percent-contribution metrics, based on 154 distribution records of N. tangutorum and 14 bioclimatic and soil-related environmental variables. We identified the five key variables of N. tangutorum distribution as follows: Precipitation of the Wettest Quarter (Bio16), Topsoil Sodicity (T_esp), Topsoil Electroconductibility (T_ece), Topsoil Car-bonate or lime content (T_CACO₃), and Precipitation of the Driest Month (Bio14). The constructed MaxEnt model was then used to project the potential distribution areas of N. tangutorum under the four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, SSP5-8.5) for both current climate conditions and future climate conditions (2050s and 2090s). The results indicate that, under present-day conditions, high-suitability areas occur primarily in Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia; in future climate scenarios, the suitable habitat for N. tangutorum is anticipated to shrink by the 2050s but is expected to gradually recover by the 2090s. As time progresses, the suitable habitat areas will generally expand towards higher latitude regions. These findings demonstrate N. tangutorum’s strong adaptive potential to climate change and provide a scientific basis for its targeted introduction, cultivation, and long-term management in desert restoration and ecological rehabilitation projects.

Docynia delavayi (Franch.) Schneid. is a wild fruit tree with high medicinal, edible, ecological, and ornamental values. This paper investigates the phenotypic diversity of nine traits in fruit and leaf from 17 Docynia delavayi natural populations. The results of coefficient of variation showed petiole length and leaf area contributed the highest mean coefficient of variation (CV = 36.85% and 43.71%, respectively), while fruit vertical diameter had the lowest contribution index (CV=12.17%). The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that first six PC axes explained 95.417% of the total variance among the Docynia delavayi populations tested, and the first three PCs explained 76.413% of the variation in multiple traits. PC1 was the most important genetic factor and the main indicator of its interpopulation variation, accounting for 51.428% of the total variation. Based on the nine phenotypic data of leaf and fruit from 17 natural populations of Docynia delavayi, the UPGMA method was used to broadly classify these populations into four main groups. This study provides a theoretical basis for further utilization and conservation of Docynia delavayi germplasm resources.