Diversification of liverworts across spatial and climatic gradients in the world
Available online 23 December 2025
Liverworts are an important component of terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. They have adapted to and diversified in a wide variety of environments. Investigating variation in net diversification rate...
Tamarindus indica telomere-to-telomere genome reveals tartaric acid accumulation in fruit
Available online 22 December 2025
•First telomere-to-telomere genome of Tamarindus indica.•Fruit sourness is likely driven by duplication of tartaric acid biosynthesis genes during lineage-specific WGD•Development of Tamarind Multi-Omics...
Influence of divergent sampling intensity across plant growth forms on estimating elevational richness patterns and their drivers
Available online 22 December 2025
Numerous studies have demonstrated that sampling intensity can significantly influence the detection of richness patterns and the assessment of the importance of driving factors. However, existing research...
The context dependency of nitrogen deposition impacts on the compositional coupling between aboveground vegetation and soil seed bank
Available online 18 December 2025
The compositional coupling between aboveground vegetation and soil seed bank is critical for community stability and successional trajectories, but such relationships are highly sensitive to environmental...
Elevational patterns of multidimensional plant diversity and community structure in a subtropical karst mountain system
Available online 17 December 2025
Understanding the mechanisms driving species assembly along elevational gradients in mountains is crucial for biodiversity conservation. However, no consensus has yet been reached on how these mechanisms...
A robust phylogenomic framework supports a revised intrafamilial classification of Urticaceae
Available online 17 December 2025
Over the past decade, phylogenomics has significantly enhanced our understanding of relationships among numerous angiosperm lineages. However, comprehensive phylogenetic studies combining broad sampling...
Root structural remodeling under soil compaction for herbaceous plants
Available online 17 December 2025
Soil compaction often imposes stress on root development and plant survival. However, root anatomical responses that enable persistent root growth and functioning under soil compaction remain unclear....
Decoding the genomic basis of adaptive capacity and vulnerability in the high-altitude Saussurea obvallata complex
Available online 16 December 2025
Decoding how adaptation and vulnerability are distributed across rugged landscape is essential for anticipating biodiversity responses to climatic change. We investigated the Saussurea obvallata complex,...
Tree structural diversity mediates vegetation carbon storage in dry-hot valley savannas along an elevational gradient
Available online 16 December 2025
Understanding the factors that drive distributional variation in terrestrial vegetation carbon pools (VCPs) is crucial for assessing the potential of carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change....
Chromosome-level genome and population genomics reveal demographic history, incomplete divergence and coastal adaptation of Rhododendron simsii var. putuoense in East China
Available online 10 December 2025
•First chromosome-level genome assembly of Rhododendronsimsii var. putuoense (479.30 Mb, contig N50 = 33.97 Mb, 98.4 % BUSCO), advancing Ericaceae genomics.•Diverged from R. simsii ∼13.67 Mya, with...
Whole genome sequencing analysis reveals strong reproductive isolation between two hybridizing Rhododendron species in subgenus Tsutsusi
Available online 8 December 2025
•Whole genome sequencing analysis reveal the first case of natural hybridization in Rhododendron subgenus Tsutsusi in China.•Most examined Rhododendronstrigosum plants (putatively hybrid origin) were...
Bridging gaps in plant conservation: The national red list assessment initiative in India
Available online 5 December 2025
•Plant species assessment and conservation initiatives in developing countries such as India face several constraints and implementation challenges.•Out of ∼55,726 recorded plant species in India, only...
Discovering of the transcriptional regulatory network involved in starch biosynthesis in sorghum grains
Available online 1 December 2025
Starch is the most abundant accumulated substance in the grains of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), the 5th most world-widely cultivated cereal crop, and is widely used by humans, especially in the direction...
China’s National Botanical Gardens: An innovative model to support global biodiversity conservation and sustainable development
Available online 29 November 2025
•China’s National Botanical Gardens (NGBs) target to protect 70% of threatened species by 2035.•NBGs implement ex situ conservation, scientific research, resource utilization, public education, and...
Worldwide phylogeny and integrative taxonomy of Clematis: Insights from phylogenomics
Available online 20 November 2025
The genus Clematis (Ranunculaceae) comprises over 300 species with remarkable morphological and ecological diversity worldwide. Despite its horticultural, medicinal, and ecological importance, a well-resolved...
Hangzhou strategic action plan charts a decade for biosphere reserves
Available online 15 November 2025
•The Hangzhou action plan aligns the MAB with global agendas.•The Hangzhou action plan emphasizes people-centered, equity-based implementation.•The plan moves forward by tabling 34 action targets....
High-quality genome of Oreocharis mileensis (Gesneriaceae) provides insights into the adaptation and conservation of highly threatened species in karst region
Available online 14 November 2025
Despite the ecological importance of karst ecosystems, genomic studies on the conservation and adaptation of karst plant species, particularly threatened wild species, remain scarce. Here, we investigate...
Changes in plant diversity on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau since the Anthropocene
Available online 12 November 2025
•Since the Anthropocene, both climate change and human activities have exerted increasingly profound impacts on QTP plant diversity.•This special section compiles research and reviews on changes in...
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Climate change, human activity, and plant diversity
Available online 10 November 2025
As the highest and largest plateau in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) covers wide geological, topographical and climatic gradients and thus acts as a major center for biodiversity and houses...
Conserving threatened plant species with widespread distribution: A case study of lethal utilization of anticancer Nothapodytes trees in Asia
Available online 10 November 2025
The global burden of cancer, with over 19 million new cases annually, underscores the urgent need for effective therapies. Among the most promising anticancer compounds is camptothecin (CPT), a monoterpene...
The SLOSS debate in fragmented grasslands: A multi-dimensional biodiversity perspective
Available online 5 November 2025
Conservationists have long debated whether fragmented habitats are best conserved by protecting a single large patch (SL) or several small patches (SS), i.e., the SLOSS debate. Although this SLOSS debate...
The mitochondrial DnaJA protein LMA1 regulates reactive oxygen species homeostasis and anthocyanin biosynthesis in Medicago truncatula
Available online 1 November 2025
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role as a key signal in plant adaptation to environment stresses, and the stress-induced anthocyanins accumulation are also critical for plant adaptation;...
Dissecting mitogenomic conflict to illuminate angiosperm deep phylogeny: Sequence and architectural evidence
Available online 25 October 2025
Deep relationships in the angiosperm tree of life remain highly controversial. To address this, we first assembled the complete mitochondrial genomes for Ceratophyllum demersum and Chloranthus sessilifolius,...
Safeguarding Andaman flora: New plant biorepository strengthens global genome conservation
Available online 24 October 2025
•First plant biorepository established for the Andaman Islands under the GGI-Gardens programme.•Collection includes 45 species from 44 genera and 33 families, exceeding project targets.•Eleven threatened...
Integrative analysis of plastome, single-copy nuclear gene Pgk1 and SLAF-seq data uncovers multiple-origin and introgression history in polyploid Agropyron cristatum
Available online 23 October 2025
Elucidating the origins and mechanisms of polyploidization requires tracing the evolutionary history of polyploid species, particularly those with complex origins. Agropyron cristatum, traditionally...