Integrative Biology Journals

Plant Diversity ›› 2025, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (03): 341-364.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2025.04.001

• Review •     Next Articles

Global advances in phylogeny, taxonomy and biogeography of Lauraceae

Lang Li (李朗)a, Bing Liu (刘冰)b,c, Yu Song (宋钰)d, Hong-Hu Meng (孟宏虎)a, Xiu-Qin Ci (慈秀芹)a, John G. Conrane, Rogier P.J. de Kokf, Pedro Luís Rodrigues de Moraesg, Jun-Wei Ye (叶俊伟)h, Yun-Hong Tan (谭运洪)i,j, Zhi-Fang Liu (刘志芳)k, Marlien van der Merwel, Henk van der Werffm, Yong Yang (杨永)n, Jens G. Rohwero, Jie Li (李捷)a,b   

  1. a. Plant Phylogenetics and Conservation Group, Center for Integrative Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China;
    b. State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China;
    c. Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China;
    d. Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Ministry of Education) & Guangxi Key Laboratory of Landscape Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization in Lijiang River Basin, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China;
    e. Environment Institute, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia;
    f. Honorary Research Associate, Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board, 1 Cluny Road, 259569 Singapore;
    g. Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Av. 24 A 1515, Bela Vista, P. O. Box 199, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil;
    h. Key Laboratory for Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China, Ministry of Education, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China;
    i. Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China;
    j. Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Southeast Asia Biodiversity Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Mengla 666303, China;
    k. Institute of Leisure Agriculture, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China;
    l. Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia;
    m. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, U. S. A.;
    n. Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China;
    o. Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Universität Hamburg, Ohnhorststr. 18, D-22609 Hamburg, Germany
  • Received:2024-12-11 Revised:2025-03-31 Online:2025-05-21 Published:2025-05-25
  • Contact: Henk van der Werff,E-mail:henk.vanderwerff@mobot.org;Yong Yang (杨永),E-mail:yangyong@njfu.edu.cn;Jens G. Rohwer,E-mail:Jens.Rohwer@uni-hamburg.de;Jie Li (李捷),E-mail:jieli@xtbg.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31970222; 31770569; 31500454; 31500165; 32260060; 32270217; 32260056; 31970223; 32400180); the Science and Technology Basic Resources Investigation Program of China (2017FY100100; 2017FY100102); Biodiversity Conservation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (ZSSD-013); National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFC2601200; 2023YFF0805800); Yunnan Fundamental Research Projects (202201AS070055; 202301AU070224); the 14th Five-Year Plan of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XTBG-1450101); Australian Research Council grant (DP130104314); RSNZ Marsden grant (11-UOO-043); Xingdian Talent Support Program (XDRC-QNRC-2022-0323); Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (ZR2022QC214).

Global advances in phylogeny, taxonomy and biogeography of Lauraceae

Lang Li (李朗)a, Bing Liu (刘冰)b,c, Yu Song (宋钰)d, Hong-Hu Meng (孟宏虎)a, Xiu-Qin Ci (慈秀芹)a, John G. Conrane, Rogier P.J. de Kokf, Pedro Luís Rodrigues de Moraesg, Jun-Wei Ye (叶俊伟)h, Yun-Hong Tan (谭运洪)i,j, Zhi-Fang Liu (刘志芳)k, Marlien van der Merwel, Henk van der Werffm, Yong Yang (杨永)n, Jens G. Rohwero, Jie Li (李捷)a,b   

  1. a. Plant Phylogenetics and Conservation Group, Center for Integrative Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China;
    b. State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China;
    c. Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China;
    d. Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Ministry of Education) & Guangxi Key Laboratory of Landscape Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization in Lijiang River Basin, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China;
    e. Environment Institute, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia;
    f. Honorary Research Associate, Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board, 1 Cluny Road, 259569 Singapore;
    g. Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Av. 24 A 1515, Bela Vista, P. O. Box 199, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil;
    h. Key Laboratory for Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China, Ministry of Education, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China;
    i. Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China;
    j. Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Southeast Asia Biodiversity Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Mengla 666303, China;
    k. Institute of Leisure Agriculture, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China;
    l. Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia;
    m. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, U. S. A.;
    n. Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China;
    o. Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Universität Hamburg, Ohnhorststr. 18, D-22609 Hamburg, Germany
  • 通讯作者: Henk van der Werff,E-mail:henk.vanderwerff@mobot.org;Yong Yang (杨永),E-mail:yangyong@njfu.edu.cn;Jens G. Rohwer,E-mail:Jens.Rohwer@uni-hamburg.de;Jie Li (李捷),E-mail:jieli@xtbg.ac.cn
  • 基金资助:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31970222; 31770569; 31500454; 31500165; 32260060; 32270217; 32260056; 31970223; 32400180); the Science and Technology Basic Resources Investigation Program of China (2017FY100100; 2017FY100102); Biodiversity Conservation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (ZSSD-013); National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFC2601200; 2023YFF0805800); Yunnan Fundamental Research Projects (202201AS070055; 202301AU070224); the 14th Five-Year Plan of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XTBG-1450101); Australian Research Council grant (DP130104314); RSNZ Marsden grant (11-UOO-043); Xingdian Talent Support Program (XDRC-QNRC-2022-0323); Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (ZR2022QC214).

Abstract: Over the past two decades, our understanding of Lauraceae, a large family of woody plants, has undergone significant advances in phylogeny, taxonomy, and biogeography. Molecular systematic studies have elucidated the basic relationships within the family with plastid phylogenomic analyses providing robust support for deep-level relationships between Lauraceae lineages, leading to the recognition of nine tribes: Hypodaphnideae, Cryptocaryeae, Cassytheae, Neocinnamomeae, Caryodaphnopsideae, Mezilaureae, Perseeae, Laureae, and Cinnamomeae, with Mezilaureae validated here. Nuclear genomes and comparative genomics studies have also clarified aspects of the family’s evolutionary history and metabolic diversity. Taxonomic studies have focused mainly on the most diverse regions, e.g., tropical Asia, tropical America, and Africa (Madagascar), with six new genera described and five reinstated since the last major overview of the family. The extensive fossil record suggests that Lauraceae diversified globally during the Late Cretaceous and Early Cenozoic. Biogeographic studies indicate that different lineages of the family are sorted into Gondwanan and Laurasian lineages, with patterns resulting from the disruption of boreotropical flora and multiple long-distance dispersal events. Phylogeographic studies, predominantly from East Asia, have shown patterns of in situ survival and demographic stability or expansion during the Quaternary. Nevertheless, many systematic relationships within the family remain unresolved and further research is needed into the complex biogeographic history and ecological roles of Lauraceae. A multifaceted approach integrating genomic studies, field work, morphological and ecological investigations is therefore needed to understand the evolution and diversity of this ecologically and economically significant plant family.

Key words: Lauraceae, Phylogeny, Taxonomy, Biogeography, Phylogenomics

摘要: Over the past two decades, our understanding of Lauraceae, a large family of woody plants, has undergone significant advances in phylogeny, taxonomy, and biogeography. Molecular systematic studies have elucidated the basic relationships within the family with plastid phylogenomic analyses providing robust support for deep-level relationships between Lauraceae lineages, leading to the recognition of nine tribes: Hypodaphnideae, Cryptocaryeae, Cassytheae, Neocinnamomeae, Caryodaphnopsideae, Mezilaureae, Perseeae, Laureae, and Cinnamomeae, with Mezilaureae validated here. Nuclear genomes and comparative genomics studies have also clarified aspects of the family’s evolutionary history and metabolic diversity. Taxonomic studies have focused mainly on the most diverse regions, e.g., tropical Asia, tropical America, and Africa (Madagascar), with six new genera described and five reinstated since the last major overview of the family. The extensive fossil record suggests that Lauraceae diversified globally during the Late Cretaceous and Early Cenozoic. Biogeographic studies indicate that different lineages of the family are sorted into Gondwanan and Laurasian lineages, with patterns resulting from the disruption of boreotropical flora and multiple long-distance dispersal events. Phylogeographic studies, predominantly from East Asia, have shown patterns of in situ survival and demographic stability or expansion during the Quaternary. Nevertheless, many systematic relationships within the family remain unresolved and further research is needed into the complex biogeographic history and ecological roles of Lauraceae. A multifaceted approach integrating genomic studies, field work, morphological and ecological investigations is therefore needed to understand the evolution and diversity of this ecologically and economically significant plant family.

关键词: Lauraceae, Phylogeny, Taxonomy, Biogeography, Phylogenomics