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    Diversity and distribution pattern of epiphyllous liverworts and its ecological determinants
    Yan-Bin JIANG, Xiao-Ming SHAO
    Chin J Plan Ecolo    2016, 40 (5): 523-532.   DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2015.0359
    Abstract1524)   HTML113)    PDF (3823KB)(3093)       Save

    Epiphyllous liverworts form a special group of bryophytes that primarily grow on leaves of understory vascular plants, occurring in constantly moist and warm evergreen forest in tropical and subtropical regions. Epiphyllous liverworts may influence ecosystem processes including carbon, nitrogen and water cycles. Furthermore, they are very sensitive to climate change and forest fragmentation, and can be used as bioindicators for changes in ecological conditions and escalating loss of biodiversity. In this paper, we reviewed studies on morphological traits, species diversity, geographical distribution and environmental conditions (including characteristics of hosts and habitats) of epiphyllous liverworts, discussed the possible reasons for the mechanisms underlying the diversity pattern of epiphyllous liverworts. According to these studies, we proposed that further ecological studies on epiphyllous liverworts should be more focused on their formation, mechanisms of matter exchange and energy flux, ecological functions in forest ecosystem, the response to climate changes and their broader-scale ecology.

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    Cited: CSCD(7)
      
    Conserving pollinator diversity and improving pollination services in agricultural landscapes
    Piaopiao Dai, Xuzhu Zhang, Yunhui Liu
    Biodiv Sci    2015, 23 (3): 408-418.   DOI: 10.17520/biods.2014248
    Abstract2406)   HTML5)    PDF (435KB)(5489)       Save

    Pollinators provide the vital process of pollination to plants. Maintaining diverse pollinators in ecosystems is essential to global food security, human welfare, and to buffer the negative ecological impacts of climate change. Globally, pollinators are experiencing serious threats from land use change, chemical pesticide use, the introduction of alien invasive species and climate change, leading to a decline in pollinator diversity. This decline can cause decreases in the yield and quality of animal-pollinated crops. Here we propose following three approaches to conserve pollinator diversity and improve pollination services in agricultural landscapes: (1) wildlife-friendly farm practices, such as reduced application of pesticides or conversion to organic farming; (2) promotion of landscape diversity, including conserving and establishing suitable semi-natural habitats, maintaining residual natural habitats, improving crop diversity and optimizing resources or habitats; (3) the use of local pollinator species in industrial applications. Further research is needed examining biological characteristics of pollinator, demand and provision of pollination services, as well as the effects of management practices on pollinator diversity and pollination services.

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    Cited: CSCD(11)
      
    Species richness patterns and resource plant conservation assessments of Rosaceae in China
    Dong-Ting ZOU, Qing-Gang WANG, Ao LUO, Zhi-Heng WANG
    Chin J Plant Ecol    2019, 43 (1): 1-15.   DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2018.0091
    Accepted: 01 June 2018

    Abstract3973)   HTML209)    PDF (5015KB)(3146)       English Version    Save

    Aims Rosaceae is a widely-distributed family with numerous economic resource plants in China. However, the species richness pattern and the current conservation status of resource plants remain poorly evaluated. Here we aim to identify the economic resource plants of Rosaceae in China, estimate the species richness patterns for all Rosaceae plants combined and for different resource groups and evaluate the relationships between species richness patterns and environmental variables. We also evaluate the current conservation status of economic resource plants of Rosaceae.
    Methods We first made the species list of all 914 Rosaceae species in China and identified the species with different economic usages, including edible, ornamental, medicinal plants and fruit germplasm resources. We then collected high-resolution distribution maps of all Rosaceae species, estimated the species richness patterns by overlapping these maps, and identified the diversity hotspots of different species groups. With high-resolution environmental data, we compared the effects of different environmental variables on the species richness and species composition of all Rosaceae species combined and the four main resource groups using generalized linear models (GLM) and redundancy analysis (RDA). Finally, we evaluated the conservation status of Rosaceae with distribution data overlaid by maps of nature reserves of China in ArcGIS.
    Important findings 1) The species richness hotspots of Rosaceae in China are mainly located in the mountain areas in the north, east and west of Sichuan basin as well as Hengduan Mountains. 2) Species richness patterns of Rosaceae are mainly determined by humidity factors. 3) Poorly protected species are mainly in Hengduan Mountains, Southeast Yunnan and Xizang, and concentrated in the genus of Rubus.

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    Cited: CSCD(18)
      
    Sprouting characteristics of communities during succession in an evergreen broad-leaved forest on Gutian Mountain, East China
    Chi Xiulian, Wang Qinggang, Guo Qiang, Yang Xian, Tang Zhiyao
    Biodiv Sci    2019, 27 (1): 24-32.   DOI: 10.17520/biods.2018222
    Abstract1359)   HTML41)    PDF (1290KB)(742)       English Version    Save

    Sprouting is an important vegetative reproduction strategy. Sprouting in woody plants is especially of great significance for maintaining forest structure and influencing vegetation dynamics and succession. In this study, we collected sprout data from 25 plots (30 m × 30 m) in an evergreen broad-leaved forest on Gutian Mountain, Zhejiang Province, East China for all trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) equal to or greater than 5 cm. Based on this data, we used general linear regression models to explore the characteristics and the effects of topographic factors and forest age on sprouting ability in forest communities during succession. We found that (1) 53.8% (56/104) of species in this forest showed evidence of sprouting. (2) The plot-level sprouting ability decreased significantly with elevation and marginally decreased significantly with aspect. (3) The plot-level sprouting ability decreased significantly with forest age. Forest age explained 20%-30% of the variation in sprouting ability after being fitted with the models using topographical factors. Both the number of sprouting genets and the proportion of sprouted species richness decreased significantly, while the mean DBH of sprouting genets increased significantly with forest age. This study shows that a decrease in community sprouting ability coupled with an increase in forest age may result from changes in both species composition (i.e. a decreasing number of individuals, but a higher sprouting ability) and structure (i.e. an increasing in proportion of larger individuals) during forest succession. In addition, the sprouting ability of forest communities is also affected by topographical factors, such as elevation and aspect.

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    Cited: CSCD(5)
      
    Evaluation of in situ conservation effectiveness on medicinal vascular plants in national nature reserves in central China
    Xiulian Chi, Ting Guo, Qinggang Wang, Zhixian Jing, Xiaobo Zhang, Xiaolin Li, Kai Sun, Tielin Wang, Guang Yang
    Biodiv Sci    2020, 28 (2): 135-143.   DOI: 10.17520/biods.2019233
    Accepted: 27 March 2020

    Abstract1336)   HTML41)    PDF (628KB)(948)       Save

    The conservation of wild resources including medicinal plants has drawn widespread attention from the academic community and society at large. This study integrates the results of scientific investigation reports of 49 national nature reserves (NNR), other related literature, and “the Fourth National Census of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resources” in central China (including Hunan, Hubei, and Henan provinces) to establish a catalogue of medicinal vascular plants (MVP). Based on this dataset and the catalogue of plant species in central China, this study evaluated the effectiveness of NNR networks on conservation of MVPs in central China. We show that 6,071 MVP species, including 1,479 endemic MVP species, 224 threatened MVP species, and 448 frequently used MVP species were covered by at least one NNR in central China. Their in situ conseravation rates were 81.93%, 87.98%, 78.87% and 91.80%, respectively. However, about 32.16% (2,383 MVP species, including 644 endemic MVP species, 119 threatened MVP species and 69 frequently used MVP species) of all the conserved MVPs were only found in 1-5 NNRs. The NNR of the forest ecosystem type performed the best protection efficiency, covering a total of 5,875 MVP species, 1,444 endemic MVP species, 211 threatened MVP species and 442 frequently used MVP species. National nature reserves of Shennongjia, Jintongshan, Mangshan, Xingdoushan and Hunan Shunhuangshan were hotspots for richness of all MVP species, endemic MVP species, and threatened MVP species, playing important roles in MVP conservation in central China. As a whole, existing NNRs in central China protect most MVPs in this region. However, there remains an urgent need for in situ protection of MVPs. Conservation gap species are urgently required to continue field dynamic monitoring and other protective activities.

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    Cited: CSCD(3)
      
    Bryophyte societies on the fallen logs of Pinus armandii with different decay classes in Sygera Mountains
    LIU Ling, FAN Ying-Jie, SONG Xiao-Tong, LI Min, SHAO Xiao-Ming, WANG Xiao-Rui
    Chin J Plant Ecol    2020, 44 (8): 842-853.   DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2019.0327
    Accepted: 12 June 2020

    Abstract916)   HTML31)    PDF (1171KB)(680)       Save

    Aims Fallen logs play important roles in maintaining the health and the renewal of forest ecosystems, but the difference of bryophyte societies on fallen logs with different decay classes is unclear.
    Methods To understand the regularity and influencing factors of changes in bryophyte societies, we investigated the bryophytes with quadrats along the trunks on four fallen logs of Pinus armandii with different decay classes at the same site in Sygera Mountains, Xizang. Then, the measured data were collected and analyzed.
    Important findings There were 22 families and 52 species of bryophytes inhabiting the four fallen logs, including 13 families and 38 species of Musci, 9 families and 14 species of Hepaticae. According to the characteristics of the shared dominant species, 14 societies were obtained. With the increase of decay classes of fallen logs and changes in surrounding environment, the bryophyte diversity increased gradually, while the number of societies and the total bryophyte coverage fluctuated. Bryophyte species varied from drought-tolerant tall turfs, such as Orthotrichaceae and Leucobryaceae, to fast-growing cushions or mats in humid and shady environments, such as Mniaceae, Thuidiaceae and Brachytheciaceae. The complexity of spatial structure of bryophytic society increased gradually. Fallen logs are important growth substrates for a variety of bryophytes. Bryophyte societies on fallen logs vary with decay classes, moisture and light conditions.

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    Cited: CSCD(2)
      
    Patterns and environmental drivers of Ranunculaceae species richness and phylogenetic diversity across eastern Eurasia
    Yichao Li, Yongsheng Chen, Denis Sandanov, Ao Luo, Tong Lü, Xiangyan Su, Yunpeng Liu, Qinggang Wang, Viktor Chepinoga, Sergey Dudov, Wei Wang, Zhiheng Wang
    Biodiv Sci    2021, 29 (5): 561-574.   DOI: 10.17520/biods.2020246
    Accepted: 22 October 2020

    Abstract1947)   HTML123)    PDF (3126KB)(1500)       Save

    Aims: Ranunculaceae, one of the basal clades in eudicots of angiosperms, has a variety of medicinal plants and is of high conservation value. However, large-scale patterns in species richness and phylogenetic diversity of Ranunculaceae based on high-resolution distribution data and their environmental determinants remain poorly understood. We aims to: (1) establish a Ranunculaceae distribution database in eastern Eurasia, estimate the species diversity and phylogenetic diversity pattern of different life forms, and explore the formation mechanism of the pattern; (2) analysis the relationship between species diversity and phylogenetic diversity of Ranunculaceae, and determine the diversity hot spots to provide basis for Ranunculaceae conservation planning.
    Methods: Here, we established the first species distribution database for 1,688 Ranunculaceae species across eastern Eurasia by compiling distribution data from regional and local floral records from across China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Russia at a spatial resolution of 100 km × 100 km. Using this database, we mapped large-scale patterns in species richness and phylogenetic diversity for species with different life forms and explored the mechanisms underlying these patterns. We also quantified the relationship between species richness and phylogenetic diversity and identified hotspots of Ranunculaceae phylogenetic diversity.
    Results: We found a latitudinal gradient in both species richness and phylogenetic diversity and revealed that Ranunculaceae in eastern Eurasia have particularly high levels of species and phylogenetic diversity in mountainous areas. Contemporary climate, habitat heterogeneity, and climate changes since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) all influenced spatial patterns in species richness and phylogenetic diversity, but their relative contributions varied across life forms. Phylogenetic diversity at mid and high latitudes was higher than expected when controlling for species richness, which suggests that these latitudes may represent a paleo-biodiversity hotspot of Ranunculaceae.
    Conclusion: Consequently, these regions should be considered a key conservation priority for this important family.

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    Cited: CSCD(3)
      
    Effects of organic planting on arthropod diversity in farmland: A meta-analysis
    Fangqian Huang, Chao Wang, Mingqing Liu, Qiuhui Chen, Xiao Han, Lei Wang, Yunguan Xi, Jibing Zhang
    Biodiv Sci    2022, 30 (1): 21243.   DOI: 10.17520/biods.2021243
    Abstract653)   HTML620)    PDF (1005KB)(685)       Save

    Aims: Organic planting is widely considered an environment-friendly agricultural management pattern that plays a crucial role in the protection of agricultural biodiversity. The change of arthropod biodiversity is proposed as a key ecological indicator for agricultural sustainability. However, the effects of organic planting on arthropod biodiversity remain inconsistent in published studies, which may have resulted from the durations of organic planting, land use and cropping systems across the individual studies. The diverse results from previous studies could weaken the practicability of their conclusions in policymaking, which highlighted the necessity of conducting a meta-analysis to provide a generalized understanding of the effects of organic planting on arthropod diversity. This study aims to quantify the impact of organic planting on arthropod biodiversity using meta-analysis and provide scientific support for the formulation of ecological compensation policy under organic planting.

    Methods: This meta-analysis conducted a literature review of peer-reviewed papers published before the end of 2020 which compared the impacts of organic and conventional planting on arthropod biodiversity. The results from 75 experimental sites, which contained 227 paired valid datasets, were selected for our analysis. To distinguish between the sources of variation for the responses of biodiversity to organic planting, the paired measurements were further subdivided into subgroups according to the factors of duration, land use, crop variety, pesticide application frequency in conventional planting, and arthropod functional groups.

    Results: The results showed that compared with conventional planting, organic planting significantly improved the richness, abundance, and evenness of arthropods by the rate of 34.95%, 64.95%, and 12.09%, respectively. The abundance of the natural enemies of arthropods increased by 71.80% (P < 0.05) while the abundance of pests decreased by 10.46% under organic planting. The richness of the natural enemies and pests under organic planting were both increased by 22.50% and 31.03% respectively, relative to conventional planting (P < 0.05). The application of pesticides significantly decreased the arthropod biodiversity in conventional planting. Compared with the organic planting, an increase in the time of pesticide application in the conventional planting lead to decreases in the arthropod richness and evenness of arthropods by 13.54% and 2.64%, respectively. The responses of arthropod richness and abundance to organic planting were significantly positive when the duration was equal to or exceeded three years. The positive effect of organic planting on arthropod abundance in paddy fields was 4.7 times higher than that in dryland (P < 0.05), but the responses of richness and evenness to organic planting were comparable between paddy and dryland (P > 0.05). The responses of arthropod richness, abundance, and evenness to organic planting under the vegetable system were 81.46%, 74.14%, and 18.55%, respectively (P < 0.05); and under the tea-planting system were 48.86%, 49.06%, 30.88% (P < 0.05), respectively. The benefits of organic planting on arthropod biodiversity under the cropping systems of vegetable and tea were demonstrated to be more significant than that under other cropping systems.

    Conclusions: Our meta-analysis suggests that organic planting plays an important role in protecting and improving biodiversity in croplands by increasing the abundance of natural enemies and decreasing pests abundance. The frequency of pesticide application was observed to be the key factor which significantly regulates the change of arthropod biodiversity. To promote the positive effects of organic planting on the protection of biodiversity in cropland, policymakers should not only to encourage the implementation of organic planting in regions where necessary conditions are satisfied, but also facilitate the ecological innovation of conventional planting by introducing the principles, concepts, and technologies of organic planting into conventional planting. This will be of more practical significance to agricultural biodiversity conservation in China.

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    Simulation of changes in land use distribution and biodiversity under different development scenarios in Qinghai Province
    Wen Pan, Yunhui Liu, Zehao Wu, Zengli Liu, Wenxuan Han, Zhenrong Yu
    Biodiv Sci    2022, 30 (4): 21425.   DOI: 10.17520/biods.2021425
    Accepted: 16 March 2022

    Abstract797)   HTML59)    PDF (30304KB)(705)       Save

    Aims: Dramatic land use changes induced by intensified human activities are considered to be an important driver for the loss of biodiversity. In response to the demands of biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development of Qinghai Province for land use, this study provides a method of optimizing land use layout under different scenarios based on different conservation goals.

    Methods: Based on the relationships between land use type/disturbance intensity and biodiversity, this study formulated four development scenarios in Qinghai Province: Baseline scenario, Beautiful Qinghai (BQ), Intelligent Qinghai (IQ) and Harmonious Qinghai (HQ). And the land use patterns and mean species abundance (MSA) related to the local native communities of Qinghai Province in 2030 and 2050 were simulated under the four scenarios, with GeoSOS-FLUS model and FLUS-Biodiversity model, respectively.

    Results: Most land use types would change significantly compared to the current spatial pattern. Under Baseline scenario, the area of wetlands, forests, and grasslands would all decline by 2030 or 2050, resulting in a slow recovery of biodiversity accordingly. The other three scenarios (BQ, IQ, and HQ) would predict various optimized spatial patterns of the future land use in the next 10 or 30 years. A large portion of medium- and high-intensity grasslands would become wetlands, primary forests, or low-intensity grasslands. Part of the conventional farmlands would be converted into high-quality farmlands, and construction land area would be reduced, thus biodiversity be greatly improved.

    Conclusion: MSAvalues of the land use in Qinghai Province could achieve the target values by 2030 or 2050, and the biodiversity integrity/intactness would be increased compared with that in 2020 under all future scenarios.

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    Intraspecific variations in plant functional traits of four common herbaceous species under different abandoned years and their relevant driving factors in Lijiang River Basin, China
    CHEN Xue-Chun, LIU Hong, ZHU Shao-Qi, SUN Ming-Yao, YU Zhen-Rong, WANG Qing-Gang
    Chin J Plant Ecol    2023, 47 (4): 559-570.   DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2022.0188
    Accepted: 05 September 2022

    Abstract513)   HTML29)    PDF (2217KB)(369)       Save

    Aims Exploring intraspecific variations of plant functional traits with abandoned years and the relevant driving factors will deepen our understanding about the vegetation recovery of abandoned lands and thus guide our agricultural management.

    Methods Using the method of substitution of space for time, we set up 42 plots in four types of habitat, i.e., field margin, abandoned grassland, shrub-grassland and forest which represents community succession along a chronosequence of vegetation restoration in Sitang town, Lingui District of Guilin in the middle reaches of Lijiang River watershed. We investigated change of intraspecific variation of five functional traits (i.e., leaf mass per area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen (N) content, leaf phosphorus (P) content and plant height) for four common herbaceous species (Imperata cylindrica, Paspalum distichum, Bidens pilosa and Alternanthera philoxeroides) with abandoned years. We also investigated the effects of soil properties and woody plant coverage on the intraspecific variation of functional traits.

    Important findings With the increase of abandoned years, soil N and P content decreased significantly, soil N:P increased first and then decreased, and the woody plant coverage increased significantly. Leaf N content of I. cylindrica increased significantly, while leaf P content decreased significantly with the increase of abandoned years. This is because leaf N content decreased significantly and leaf P content increased significantly with the increase of soil P content. Leaf mass per area and leaf dry matter content of P. distichum increased significantly and plant height decreased significantly with the increase of abandoned years. Plant height of B. pilosa decreased significantly with the increase of abandoned years, because plant height of B. pilosa decreased significantly with the increase of woody plant coverage. Leaf mass per area of A. philoxeroides decreased significantly with the increase of abandoned years, because leaf mass per area of A. philoxeroides increased significantly with the increase of soil N:P. In sum, the intraspecific changes of plant functional traits are caused by the changes of soil physical and chemical properties and woody plant coverage with abandoned years.

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    Advances in earthworm genomics: Based on whole genome and mitochondrial genome
    Junjie Zhai, Huifeng Zhao, Guangshen Shang, Zhenjun Sun, Yufeng Zhang, Xing Wang
    Biodiv Sci    2022, 30 (12): 22257.   DOI: 10.17520/biods.2022257
    Accepted: 07 December 2022

    Abstract758)   HTML28)    PDF (11190KB)(805)       Save

    Background & Aims: Earthworms, which are known as the ecosystem engineers of the soil, are highly diverse and distributed worldwide. They are used as indicators of soil health. They are highly adaptable to their environment, and their genomes have evolved through the process of adaptation. In this paper, recent research progress of the whole genome and mitochondrial genome of the earthworms are reviewed.
    Progresses: The sequencing, assembly and analysis of earthworm genome lay a foundation for the study of earthworm ecology, molecular toxicity mechanism of pollutants to earthworm, molecular mechanism of immune defense, earthworm regeneration and so on. The mitochondrial genome is mostly used in the study of molecular phylogeny of earthworms. Currently, various types of earthworm species have been identified based on mitochondrial genome sequencing.
    Prospects: This paper highlights the following aspects of research that should be focused in future studies: (1) Carry out the studies on comparative genomics, evolutionary genomics and functional genomics using the existing whole genome sequencing results of the four species earthworms; (2) Improve the gene libraries and expressed sequence tags of different species of earthworms; (3) Strengthen the association analysis between mitochondrial genome and whole genome with the species diversity of earthworm.

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