Climate change and biological invasions have had significant impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. To assess how environmental changes affect two key invasive snails- Pomacea canaliculata and Pomacea maculata- in East Asia, we built species distribution models (SDMs) and ecological niche models. These apple snails (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae) have negatively impacted ecosystems and human health. Understanding their distribution is crucial for containing invasions under current and future climates. Our findings indicate that these two species occur primarily in China and Japan but occupy different suitable habitats, and the highly overlapping niches suggest interspecific competition. P. canaliculata is more adaptable extreme environments. The projections show that the sustainable development pathway (SSP126) best limits these invaders by suppressing reproduction and dispersal. This study provides predictive information that can be utilized to reduce the invasiveness and spread of these two Pomacea species. To prevent further increases in suitable habitat, control measures should be taken as early as possible.
Pomacea canaliculata, Pomacea maculata, Invasive snails, MaxEnt, Climate change, Habitat suitability
