Data Sheet 1_Climatic suitability and distribution prediction of Medicago sativa on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: an ensemble species distribution modeling approach.docx

Its application on the climate-sensitive Qinghai–Tibet Plateau depends on the distribution and future dynamics of climatically suitable habitats. This study aimed to identify the main environmental constraints on its potential distribution and assess changes in suitable habitats under future climate change.</p>Methods<p>Using 92 spatially filtered occurrence records and 18 environmental variables, we developed species distribution models with 12 algorithms and constructed a weighted ensemble from models meeting the screening criterion.

Potentially suitable habitats were projected for the current period and for three emission scenarios in the 2050s and 2090s, and key environmental variables and centroid shifts were analyzed.</p>Results<p>Elevation and annual temperature range were the main environmental constraints. Under current conditions, moderate- and high-suitability habitats were concentrated mainly in the eastern and southern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.