Leonurus japonicus Houtt. is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant with high medicinal and edible value. Wild L. japonicus resources have reduced dramatically in recent years. This study predicted the response of distribution range of L. japonicus to climate change in China, which provided scientific basis for the conservation and utilization. In this study, 489 occurrence points of L. japonicus were selected based on GIS technology and spThin package. The default parameters of MaxEnt model were adjusted by using ENMeva1 package of R environment, and the optimized MaxEnt model was used to analyze the distribution of L. japonicus. When the feature combination in the model parameters is hing and the regularization multiplier is 1.5, the MaxEnt model has a higher degree of optimization. With the AUC of 0.830, our model showed a good predictive performance. The results showed that L. japonicus were widely distributed in the current period. The maximum temperature of warmest month, the min temperature of coldest month, the precipitation of wettest month, the precipitation of driest month, and altitude were the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of L. japonicus. Under the three climate change scenarios, the suitable distribution area of L. japonicus will range shift to high latitudes, indicating that the distribution of L. japonicus has a strong response to climate change. The regional change rate is the lowest under the SSP126‐2090s scenario and the highest under the SSP585‐2090s scenario.

Agastache rugosa (Fisch. & C. A. Mey.) Kuntze has been widely studied because of its high medicinal and edible value. Establishing the priority protected area of wild A. rugosa can provide scientific basis for the protection of germplasm resources. In this study, we predicted the potential suitability distribution area of A. rugosa under the current and future climate scenarios with the MaxEnt model, and the dominant climate factors affecting the distribution of A. rugosa were analyzed. Based on the above results, we predicted the priority protected areas of A. rugosa with the Marxan model. The results showed that A. rugosa is mainly distributed in the eastern and central regions of China at present. In future, the suitable area of A. rugosa will increase, otherwise a few areas will shrink back and migrate to the high latitude areas as a whole. Hydrothermal conditions are the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of A. rugosa. The priority protected areas of A. rugosa are mainly distributed in Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, southern Guizhou, western Hunan and Hubei and southwestern Shaanxi, which are basically consistent with the highly suitable areas predicted by Maxent model. The results of this study are of great significance for the protection and rational utilization of species of Agastache.

In recent decades, ecological niche models (ENMs) have been widely used to predict suitable habitats for species. However, for invasive organisms, the prediction accuracy is unclear. In this study, we employed the most widely used maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model and ensemble model (EM) Biomod2 and verified the practical effectiveness of the ENM in predicting the distribution areas of invasive insects based on the true occurrence of Hyphantria cunea in China. The results showed that when only limited data of invasive areas were used, the two ENMs could not effectively predict the distribution of suitable habitats of H. cunea, although the use of global data can greatly improve the prediction accuracy of ENMs. When analyzing the same data, Biomod2's prediction accuracy was significantly better than that of MaxEnt. For long‐term predictions, the area of suitable habitat predicted by the ENMs was much greater than the occurrence area; for short‐term predictions, the accuracy of the predicted area was significantly improved. Under the current conditions, the area of suitable habitat for H. cunea in China is 118 × 10⁴ km², of which 59.32% is moderately or highly suitable habitat. Future climate change could significantly increase the suitable habitat area of H. cunea in China, and the predicted area of suitable habitats in all climate scenarios exceeded 355 × 10⁴ km², accounting for 36.98% of the total land area in China. This study demonstrates the use of ENMs to study invasive insects and provides a reference for the management of H. cunea in China.

Argentina anserina (Rosaceae), a perennial herb, forms enlarged tuberous roots (commonly referred to as “ginseng fruit”) exclusively in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, making it a unique medicinal and edible plant resource in this region. The upper reaches of the Dadu River and Minjiang River are one of its primary production areas in China. This study employs an ensemble model to simulate the potential distribution of A. anserina in this region, predicting the impacts of future climate change on its distribution, ecological niche, and centroid migration patterns. Additionally, a cultivation productivity evaluation model integrating ecological suitability and nutritional components was developed to delineate potential cultivation areas. Results indicate that high-suitability habitats span 0.37 × 10⁴ km² (7.39% of the total suitable area), exhibiting a patchy and fragmented distribution in Aba County, Rangtang County, Jiuzhi County, and Banma County. Core cultivation areas cover 3.78 × 10⁴ km², distributed across Aba County, Rangtang County, Jiuzhi County, Seda County, Banma County, Hongyuan County, and Markam City. Under future climate scenarios, the suitable distribution area of A. anserina will gradually decline with rising temperatures, migrating to higher-latitude northern regions, accompanied by increased niche migration. By the 2090s under the SSP5-8.5 scenario, the centroid demonstrates the largest migration amplitude, with high-suitability habitats showing a “collapsing” polarization pattern and near-complete niche separation from the previous period, indicating significant changes. Collectively, these results provide a theoretical basis for the sustainable utilization of A. anserina in the upper Dadu River and Minjiang River basin.

Under global climate change, sustainable management of plant resources in alpine canyon regions faces severe challenges. M. esculenta, highly valued for its edible and medicinal properties, is widely harvested for consumption by residents in the upper Dadu River–Minjiang River region. This study employs ensemble models to simulate the potential distribution of M. esculenta in this region, predicting the impacts of future climate change on its distribution, centroid migration of suitable habitats, and niche dynamics. Additionally, a production dynamics model integrating ecological suitability and nutritional components was developed to delineate current and future potential cultivation zones for M. esculenta. The results indicate that current high-suitability areas and core cultivation zones of M. esculenta are predominantly distributed in a patchy and fragmented pattern. The high-suitability habitats in the upper Dadu River–Minjiang River region have three distribution centers: the largest spans southern Danba County, southern Jinchuan County, and northeastern Kangding City, while the other two are located in northeastern Li County, southwestern Aba County, and northwestern Ma’erkang City, with sporadic distributions in Heishui County, Maoxian County, and Wenchuan County. First-level cultivation areas are primarily concentrated in Kangding City, Danba County, Ma’erkang City, Li County, and surrounding regions. Under climate change, low-suitability areas and third-level cultivation zones for M. esculenta in the region have increased significantly, while high- and medium-suitability areas, along with first- and second-level cultivation zones, have decreased notably. Concurrently, suitable habitats and cultivation zones exhibit a migration trend toward higher northern latitudes. The most pronounced changes in suitable areas and cultivation zones, as well as the largest niche migration, occur under the high-emission climate scenario. This study facilitates the formulation of suitability-based management strategies for M. esculenta in the upper Dadu River–Minjiang River region and provides a scientific reference for the sustainable utilization of mountain plant resources under climate change.

Under the pressures of global climate change, the sustainable management of plant resources in alpine gorge regions faces severe challenges. P. aquilinum var. latiusculum is widely harvested and utilized by residents in the upper reaches of the Dadu River–Min River basin due to its high edible and medicinal value. This study employed ensemble models to simulate the potential distribution of P. aquilinum var. latiusculum in this region, predicting the impacts of future climate change on its distribution, the centroid migration of suitable habitats, and niche dynamics. A production dynamics model was also constructed to identify current and future potential cultivation areas by integrating ecological suitability and nutritional component synergies. The results show that current high-suitability areas and core cultivation zones of P. aquilinum var. latiusculum are predominantly distributed in patchy, fragmented patterns across the Wenchuan, Li, Mao, Luding, and Xiaojin Counties and Kangding City. Under climate change, the “mountain-top trap effect” drives a significant increase in high-suitability areas and core cultivation zones, while moderate-to-low-suitability areas and marginal cultivation zones decrease substantially. Meanwhile, suitable habitats and cultivation areas exhibit a northward migration trend toward higher latitudes. The most significant changes in suitable area and cultivation zone extent, as well as the most pronounced niche shifts, occur under high-emission climate scenarios. This research facilitates the development of suitability-based management strategies for P. aquilinum var. latiusculum in the study region and provides scientific references for the sustainable utilization of montane plant resources in the face of climate change.