Effects of Climate Change on Habitats Suitability of Kelp Bass (Paralabrax clathratus) Predicted by Maxent

Kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus) is a temperate-water fish with high requirements on temperature and other related environmental conditions. The change of habitat conditions caused by global warming may affect the distribution of P. clathratus. This study was based on species distribution information of P. clathratus, climate data from WorldClim (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 greenhouse gas emission scenarios), and integrated learning algorithm Species Distribution Model to predict the current, 2050s and 2070s potential habitat of P. clathratus. The results show that: (1) The Area Under the Curve (AUC) of the prediction model is 0.762, indicating that the model has normal generalization ability and reliability; (2) Jackknife method assessment showed that annual mean temperature and annual precipitation were the most important bioclimatic variables for predicting the potential distribution of P. clathratus; (3) Under the future climate change conditions, the distribution of P. clathratus gradually concentrate to the southern parts of California and to the Nayarit. The area of high-suitable area decreased gradually. The research on the potential habitat and the main bioclimatic variables affecting the distribution of P. clathratus is of practical significance for the classification of germplasm reserves, fishery regulation, preventing potential bio-invasion of P. clathratus, which can also provide a reference for the response of other benthic marine fish to climate change in North American coast.