The current and future potential distribution of Melaleuca quinquenervia

Summary Melaleuca quinquenervia (broad‐leaved paperbark) is a tree native to Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia that has become moderately to highly invasive in a number of countries over the last century. Although a synoptic view of the invasion would be of considerable use in devising appropriate control strategies, little effort has been applied to investigate the potential distribution of this invasive species. A climate suitability analysis was undertaken in this study, to assess the risk of geographic range expansion of M . quinquenervia under current climate and how this distribution will be modified by climate change during the 2080s. CLIMEX™ was used to infer the climatic requirements of M . quinquenervia from observations in both the native and exotic range. The accuracy of the developed model was assessed using independent naturalised observations of the species in Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Caribbean. Projections of climatic suitability indicate considerable scope for further invasion, with the most suitable areas occurring adjacent to existing populations in south‐east Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America and the Gulf coast in southern USA. Under future climates, model projections indicate there will be a marked contraction of suitable habitat in most regions and a slight poleward range expansion within south‐eastern China, southern Europe and northern New Zealand.