2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1 Study area and species data

Northwest Yunnan is located in the mountains of southwest China, and lies to the Northwestern part of Yunnan Province (Figure 1). The area is situated on the transition zone between the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and the Yunnan‐Guizhou Plateau (YGP), and is seated in the Longitudinal Range-Gorge Region (LRGR) of the Hengduan Mountains in the east of the Himalayas, and is simultaneously located in the Three Parallel Rivers Region (TPRR) (i.e., Jinsha River, Lancang River, and Nujiang River) (Yang, 2002). Massive variations in terrain and climate in Northwest Yunnan (for more details, see Ye et al., 2020a), as well as the resulting rich and diverse special habitats, provide habitats for special species, especially for rare and endangered species. In particular, alpine ecosystem and plateau lake ecosystem that contain a large number of rare and endangered species (Tao et al., 2016). The special terrain and diverse climate make this area become one of the most concentrated and abundant regions of biodiversity in China (Xue & Wu, 2016; Ye et al., 2020b). In addition, Northwest Yunnan is also considered to be one of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots (Conservation International, https://www.conservation.org/priorities/biodiversity-hotspots). The spatial variation of environmental factors make the distribution pattern of species diversity more complicated. Therefore, Northwest Yunnan has become an ideal region to discuss the distribution pattern of species diversity and simulate the distribution of potential suitable habitats.