Comparative analysis of multiple hybrid zones of Rhododendron × duclouxii uncovered different potential evolutionary outcomes
November 2025
The study of natural hybridization facilitates our understanding of potential adaptive mechanisms in evolution and the process involved in speciation. In this study, we used multiple data types, including...
Climate change impacts on Rhododendron diversity: Regional responses and conservation strategies in China
November 2025
Over the past century, anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have continuously increased global temperature and triggered climate change, significantly impacting species distributions and biodiversity...
Human agricultural activities influence the flowering time of turnip in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
November 2025
Tibetan turnip and oilseeds are the most important vegetables cultivated in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our field observations identified a dominant early-bolting phenotype at the vegetative growth stage...
Fragmentation effects on β-diversity: The role of abundance and intraspecific trait variation in shaping taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic patterns
November 2025
Habitat fragmentation dramatically reshapes species richness and community composition. However, most estimates of β-diversity rely on incidence-based metrics, which consider only species presence/absence....
Unraveling the evolutionary complexity of Lycoris: Insights into chromosomal variation, genome size, and phylogenetic relationships
November 2025
Hybridization and polyploidy are key drivers of species diversity and genome variation in Lycoris, but their cytological and evolutionary consequences remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated...
Species invasion and phylogenetic relatedness of vascular plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the roof of the world
November 2025
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is the highest and one of the most extensive plateaus in the world. Investigating naturalized non-native plant species composition, phylogenetic relationships among naturalized...
Geographical patterns and drivers of plant productivity and species diversity in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
November 2025
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) has three main grassland types: alpine meadow, alpine steppe, and alpine desert steppe. In this study, we asked how plant productivity and species diversity vary with...
What do we know about treelines of the Anthropocene in High Asia?
November 2025
The conversion of forests to pastures is the most important human intervention that has shaped the natural landscape into the Anthropocene environment. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), which has both...
Climate warming shortens the time interval between stem-girth and wood biomass production in twelve temperate tree species
November 2025
Climate warming is reshaping the phenology of plants in recent decades, with potential implications for forest productivity, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem functioning. While the effects of warming...
Simulated climate warming strongly constrains the seedling establishment of alpine cushion Arenaria oreophila
November 2025
Population shrinkage of alpine cushion plants with ongoing climate warming has been empirically confirmed. Since cushion plants play important roles in sustaining alpine plant community and ecosystem...
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...
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,...
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...
Unravelling tree diversity patterns and responses to environmental gradients in a tropical forest landscape of the Western Ghats
Available online 6 October 2025
Understanding spatial patterns of plant species diversity and the factors (e.g., climate and human) that drive these patterns is essential for biodiversity conservation. We used data from 170 0.1-ha...
Diversification rates in large-scale moss assemblages along latitudinal and climatic gradients across the world
September 2025
Species richness in any area results from the interplay of the processes of speciation, extinction, and dispersal. The relationships between species richness and climate should be considered as an outcome...
Phylogenetically close alien Asteraceae species with minimal niche overlap are more likely to invade
September 2025
Predicting whether alien species will invade a native community is a key challenge in invasion ecology. One factor that may help predict invasion success is phylogenetic relatedness. Darwin proposed...
Genomic signatures of local adaptation to precipitation and solar radiation in kiwifruit
September 2025
Local adaptation is critical for plant survivals and reproductions in the context of global environmental change. Heterogeneous environments impose various selection pressures that influence the fitness...
Grazing management can achieve the reconfiguration of vegetation to combat climate impacts and promote soil carbon sequestration
September 2025
Climate and grazing have a significant effect on vegetation structure and soil organic carbon (SOC) distribution, particularly in mountain ecosystems that are highly susceptible to climate change. However,...
Environmental drivers and future distribution of invasive alien plant species in the Gaoligong Mountains, southwestern China
September 2025
Invasive alien plant species (IAPS) pose severe threats to global biodiversity conservation. Effective management of IAPS requires mapping their distribution and identifying the environmental factors...