13/05/2025
🌿 Spotlight on Gossia punctata: From Least Concern to Critically Endangered
From September 2024, Gossia punctata—commonly known as the dotted myrtle—has been reclassified from “Least Concern” to “Critically Endangered” under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992. This small rainforest tree, native to southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, faces significant threats from habitat loss and the pervasive spread of .
In response to it’s conservation concern and spread awareness, I have initiated a Species Distribution Model (SDM) for G. punctata using occurrence data from the GBIF: The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (https://www.gbif.org/species/5416242)
The goal is to identify current and potential habitats to inform conservation strategies.
Insights from the SDM Outputs:
🗺️ Map 1 – Predicted habitat suitability (current): Highlights potential suitable zones inland of Brisbane based on MaxEnt Cloglog output.
📉 Graph 1 – Response Curves: Illustrates how each bioclimatic variable influences predicted suitability across temperature and precipitation gradients.
📈 Graph 2 – ROC Curve: Model performance evaluation with AUC = 0.94, showing high predictive strength of the model.
🗺️ Map 2 – Regional Suitability Extent: Wider spatial view showing how suitability extends into key dry rainforest regions of southeast Queensland and northeast NSW.
Response curves highlight BioClim variables such as:
- BIO10 (Mean Temperature of Warmest Quarter) showing a strong drop in suitability beyond ~24°C.
- BIO12 (Annual Precipitation) showing increasing suitability with higher rainfall.
- BIO16 (Precipitation of Wettest Quarter)
- BIO17 (Precipitation of Driest Quarter) confirming the species’ reliance on seasonal moisture availability.
