Climate change affects the suitability of Chinese cherry (Prunus pseudocerasus Lindl.) in China

The rapid development of Prunus pseudocerasus related industry has increasingly contributed to rural vitalization in China. This study employed a biomod2 ensemble model, utilizing environmental and species occurrence data from 151 P. pseudocerasus germplasm wild/local samples, to predict potential geographical distribution, suitability changes, climate dependence, and ecological niche dynamics. The optimized maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model yielded the most accurate predictions. The climate variables with the greatest impact on suitability were precipitation of warmest quarter and mean diurnal temperature range. The total potential suitable area for P. pseudocerasus was approximately 2.78 × 10⁶ km², increasing with CO₂ concentration. The highly suitable area was primarily concentrated in basin terrains, plateaus, and plains of Sichuan Province. The current centroid in Lichuan exhibited gradual latitudinal and longitudinal movement. The predicted (2090s) ecological niche trends of P. pseudocerasus varied under different pathways and periods, with higher CO₂ concentration associated with lower niche overlap. The CO₂ emission concentration in the SSP246 scenario emerged as the most suitable climate model. Climate change is driving both the expansion of geographical distribution and the contraction of overlapping geographical distribution areas of P. pseudocerasus. These findings provide a theoretical basis for wild resource conservation, site selection for production, and introduction of allopatry for P. pseudocerasus.