The relative role of regional species pools in determining tree species richness and rarity in Chinese subtropical and tropical forests

doi:10.1016/j.pld.2026.02.002

Plant Diversity ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (02): 340-350.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2026.02.002

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The relative role of regional species pools in determining tree species richness and rarity in Chinese subtropical and tropical forests

Houjuan Song^a,b,c, Borja Jiménez-Alfaro^d,e, Yongchang Song^b, Jens-Christian Svenning^c, Alejandro Ordonez^c, Oukai Zhang^f, Xihua Wang^b, Enrong Yan^b, Kun Song^b, Luxiang Lin^g, Shengbin Chen^h, Qingpei Yangⁱ, Buhang Li^j, Chuping Wu^k,l, Bo Jiang^k,l, Chao Jin^b,k, Zhiming Zhang^m, Yi Dingⁿ, Huilin Wan^o, Kankan Shang^p, Kunfang Cao^q, Wei Shi^r, Xin Wang^s, Xiaoran Wang^b, Pengcheng Liu^b, Jian Zhang^j

a Shanxi Key Laboratory of Efficient Cultivation of Forest Resources, College of Forestry, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China;
b Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China;
c Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark;
d Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB), University of Oviedo-CSIC-Principality of Asturias, 33600 Mieres, Spain;
e Department of Organismal and Systems Biology, University of Oviedo, 33071 Oviedo, Spain;
f Lvpeng Environmental Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518000, China;
g Yunnan Key Laboratory of Forest Ecosystem Stability and Global Change, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China;
h College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China;
i Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Bamboo Germplasm Resources and Utilization, Forestry College, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China;
j State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Innovation Center for Evolutionary Synthetic Biology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China;
k Zhejiang Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 310023, China;
l Zhejiang Hangzhou Urban Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Hangzhou 310023, China;
m School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Yunnan Key Laboratory for Plateau Mountain Ecology and Restoration of Degraded Environments, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China;
n Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China;
o Lushan Botanical Garden, Jiangxi Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiujiang 332900, China;
p Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai 201602, China;
q State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China;
r School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China;
s College of Architecture and Design, Shanxi Vocational University of Engineering Science and Technology, Jinzhong 030619, China

Received:2025-12-14 Revised:2026-01-22 Online:2026-05-19 Published:2026-03-25
Contact: Jian Zhang,E-mail:zhangjian6@mail.sysu.edu.cn
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32301401 & 32071538), the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (2023ZKZD36), the VILLUM Investigator project “Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World” funded by Villum Fonden (grant 16549), the Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) funded by Danish National Research Foundation (grant DNRF173), and the Fundamental Research Program of Shanxi Province (202303021222281).

The relative role of regional species pools in determining tree species richness and rarity in Chinese subtropical and tropical forests

a Shanxi Key Laboratory of Efficient Cultivation of Forest Resources, College of Forestry, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China;
b Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China;
c Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark;
d Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB), University of Oviedo-CSIC-Principality of Asturias, 33600 Mieres, Spain;
e Department of Organismal and Systems Biology, University of Oviedo, 33071 Oviedo, Spain;
f Lvpeng Environmental Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518000, China;
g Yunnan Key Laboratory of Forest Ecosystem Stability and Global Change, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China;
h College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China;
i Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Bamboo Germplasm Resources and Utilization, Forestry College, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China;
j State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Innovation Center for Evolutionary Synthetic Biology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China;
k Zhejiang Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 310023, China;
l Zhejiang Hangzhou Urban Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Hangzhou 310023, China;
m School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Yunnan Key Laboratory for Plateau Mountain Ecology and Restoration of Degraded Environments, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China;
n Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China;
o Lushan Botanical Garden, Jiangxi Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiujiang 332900, China;
p Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai 201602, China;
q State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China;
r School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China;
s College of Architecture and Design, Shanxi Vocational University of Engineering Science and Technology, Jinzhong 030619, China

通讯作者: Jian Zhang,E-mail:zhangjian6@mail.sysu.edu.cn
基金资助:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32301401 & 32071538), the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (2023ZKZD36), the VILLUM Investigator project “Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World” funded by Villum Fonden (grant 16549), the Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) funded by Danish National Research Foundation (grant DNRF173), and the Fundamental Research Program of Shanxi Province (202303021222281).

Abstract

Abstract: The species pool hypothesis argues that local species diversity mainly depends on regional diversity, which is influenced by dispersal, historical and current environmental conditions. We hypothesize that regional factors, such as the size of the regional species pool, current climate, topographical variability, and historical climate stability, also impact local species-abundance patterns, like the rarity of local species, though their specific effects are not yet well understood. Analyzing data from 3307 species across 3923 forest plots in Chinese subtropical and tropical regions, we employed boosted regression trees and structural equation modeling to assess the roles of regional species pool size along with climatic seasonality, topography, and soil factors, in shaping local richness and rarity. We found that local tree species richness declined with increasing latitude, while species rarity decreased from west to east. The factors such as current regional environment, paleoclimate stability, and human disturbance significantly affected local richness and rarity, primarily through their effects on regional species pool size. The impacts of regional mean temperature and elevational range on local richness surpassed local influences. Conversely, local climatic seasonality exerted the strongest influence on species rarity, followed by human activity. Overall, the findings indicate that regions with large regional species pools tend to support diverse communities with high proportions of rare species.

Key words: Habitat heterogeneity, Climatic stability, Regional effect, Species pool, Species rarity

摘要： The species pool hypothesis argues that local species diversity mainly depends on regional diversity, which is influenced by dispersal, historical and current environmental conditions. We hypothesize that regional factors, such as the size of the regional species pool, current climate, topographical variability, and historical climate stability, also impact local species-abundance patterns, like the rarity of local species, though their specific effects are not yet well understood. Analyzing data from 3307 species across 3923 forest plots in Chinese subtropical and tropical regions, we employed boosted regression trees and structural equation modeling to assess the roles of regional species pool size along with climatic seasonality, topography, and soil factors, in shaping local richness and rarity. We found that local tree species richness declined with increasing latitude, while species rarity decreased from west to east. The factors such as current regional environment, paleoclimate stability, and human disturbance significantly affected local richness and rarity, primarily through their effects on regional species pool size. The impacts of regional mean temperature and elevational range on local richness surpassed local influences. Conversely, local climatic seasonality exerted the strongest influence on species rarity, followed by human activity. Overall, the findings indicate that regions with large regional species pools tend to support diverse communities with high proportions of rare species.

关键词: Habitat heterogeneity, Climatic stability, Regional effect, Species pool, Species rarity

Houjuan Song, Borja Jiménez-Alfaro, Yongchang Song, Jens-Christian Svenning, Alejandro Ordonez, Oukai Zhang, Xihua Wang, Enrong Yan, Kun Song, Luxiang Lin, Shengbin Chen, Qingpei Yang, Buhang Li, Chuping Wu, Bo Jiang, Chao Jin, Zhiming Zhang, Yi Ding, Huilin Wan, Kankan Shang, Kunfang Cao, Wei Shi, Xin Wang, Xiaoran Wang, Pengcheng Liu, Jian Zhang. The relative role of regional species pools in determining tree species richness and rarity in Chinese subtropical and tropical forests[J]. Plant Diversity, 2026, 48(02): 340-350.

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The relative role of regional species pools in determining tree species richness and rarity in Chinese subtropical and tropical forests

The relative role of regional species pools in determining tree species richness and rarity in Chinese subtropical and tropical forests

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