Integrative Biology Journals

Plant Diversity ›› 2025, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (04): 529-543.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2025.04.003

• Review •     Next Articles

Multifaceted plant diversity patterns across the Himalaya: Status and outlook

Mustaqeem Ahmada,b, Ya-Huang Luo (罗亚皇)a,b, Sonia Ratheec, Robert A. Spicerd,e,f, Jian Zhang (张健)g, Moses C. Wambulwaa,b,h, Guang-Fu Zhu (朱光福)a,b, Marc W. Cadottei, Zeng-Yuan Wu (吴增源)b, Shujaul Mulk Khanj,k, Debabrata Maityl, De-Zhu Li (李德铢)a,b, Jie Liu (刘杰)a,b,i   

  1. a. CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China;
    b. Germplasm Bank of Wild Species & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Crop Wild Relatives Omics, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China;
    c. Department of Botany, KVA DAV College for Women, Karnal, Haryana 132001, India;
    d. School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK;
    e. State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, Yunnan, China;
    f. State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
    g. School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China;
    h. Department of Life Sciences, School of Science and Computing, South Eastern Kenya University, 170-90200, Kitui, Kenya;
    i. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada;
    j. Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan;
    k. Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan;
    l. Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, West Bengal, India
  • Received:2024-08-19 Revised:2025-04-07 Online:2025-08-13 Published:2025-08-13
  • Contact: De-Zhu Li (李德铢),E-mail:dzl@mail.kib.ac.cn;Jie Liu (刘杰),E-mail:liujie@mail.kib.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    This research was funded by the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, CAS (ZDBS-LY-7001), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32170398, 42211540718, W2433074, 32071541), the CAS “Light of West China” Program, the Xingdian Talent Support Program of Yunnan Province (XDYC-QNRC-2022-0026), the Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan (202201AT070222), and the Fund of Yunnan Key Laboratory of Crop Wild Relatives Omics (CWR-2024-04). Jie Liu and Zeng-Yuan Wu also acknowledge funding from the China Scholarship Council (202304910135, 202304910138) for their one-year study at the University of Toronto, Canada. Shuiaul Mulk Khan and Jie liu acknowledge the Pakistan Science Foundation & NSFC for the joint venture under the project (PSF-NSFC/JSEP/BIO/C-OAU(04)). Jian Zhang was surpported by the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (2023ZKZD36).

Multifaceted plant diversity patterns across the Himalaya: Status and outlook

Mustaqeem Ahmada,b, Ya-Huang Luo (罗亚皇)a,b, Sonia Ratheec, Robert A. Spicerd,e,f, Jian Zhang (张健)g, Moses C. Wambulwaa,b,h, Guang-Fu Zhu (朱光福)a,b, Marc W. Cadottei, Zeng-Yuan Wu (吴增源)b, Shujaul Mulk Khanj,k, Debabrata Maityl, De-Zhu Li (李德铢)a,b, Jie Liu (刘杰)a,b,i   

  1. a. CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China;
    b. Germplasm Bank of Wild Species & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Crop Wild Relatives Omics, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China;
    c. Department of Botany, KVA DAV College for Women, Karnal, Haryana 132001, India;
    d. School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK;
    e. State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, Yunnan, China;
    f. State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
    g. School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China;
    h. Department of Life Sciences, School of Science and Computing, South Eastern Kenya University, 170-90200, Kitui, Kenya;
    i. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada;
    j. Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan;
    k. Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan;
    l. Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, West Bengal, India
  • 通讯作者: De-Zhu Li (李德铢),E-mail:dzl@mail.kib.ac.cn;Jie Liu (刘杰),E-mail:liujie@mail.kib.ac.cn
  • 基金资助:
    This research was funded by the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, CAS (ZDBS-LY-7001), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32170398, 42211540718, W2433074, 32071541), the CAS “Light of West China” Program, the Xingdian Talent Support Program of Yunnan Province (XDYC-QNRC-2022-0026), the Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan (202201AT070222), and the Fund of Yunnan Key Laboratory of Crop Wild Relatives Omics (CWR-2024-04). Jie Liu and Zeng-Yuan Wu also acknowledge funding from the China Scholarship Council (202304910135, 202304910138) for their one-year study at the University of Toronto, Canada. Shuiaul Mulk Khan and Jie liu acknowledge the Pakistan Science Foundation & NSFC for the joint venture under the project (PSF-NSFC/JSEP/BIO/C-OAU(04)). Jian Zhang was surpported by the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (2023ZKZD36).

Abstract: Mountains serve as exceptional natural laboratories for studying biodiversity due to their heterogeneous landforms and climatic zones. The Himalaya, a global biodiversity hotspot, hosts rich endemic flora, supports vital ecosystem functions, and offers a unique window into multifaceted plant diversity patterns. This review synthesizes research on Himalayan plant diversity, including species, phylogenetic, functional, and genetic dimensions, highlighting knowledge gaps and solutions. Research on Himalayan plant diversity has developed significantly. However, gaps remain, especially in studies on phylogenetic and functional diversity. The region's vegetation ranges from tropical rainforests to alpine ecosystems, with species richness typically following a hump-shaped distribution along elevation gradients. The eastern Himalaya exhibits higher plant diversity than the central and western regions. Low-elevation communities were found to be more functionally diverse, whereas high-elevation communities displayed greater ecological specialization. Communities at mid-elevations tend to show greater phylogenetic diversity than those at higher and lower elevations. The eastern and western flanks of the Himalaya retain high levels of genetic diversity and serve as glacial refugia, whereas the central region acts as a hybrid zone for closely related species. Himalayan plant diversity is shaped by historical, climatic, ecological and anthropogenic factors across space and time. However, this rich biodiversity is increasingly threatened by environmental change and growing anthropogenic pressures. Unfortunately, research efforts are constrained by spatial biases and the lack of transnational initiatives and collaborative studies, which could significantly benefit from interdisciplinary approaches, and other coordinated actions. These efforts are vital to safeguarding the Himalayan natural heritage.

Key words: Biodiversity hotspot, Elevational gradients, Functional diversity, Genetic diversity, Himalaya, Phylogenetic diversity

摘要: Mountains serve as exceptional natural laboratories for studying biodiversity due to their heterogeneous landforms and climatic zones. The Himalaya, a global biodiversity hotspot, hosts rich endemic flora, supports vital ecosystem functions, and offers a unique window into multifaceted plant diversity patterns. This review synthesizes research on Himalayan plant diversity, including species, phylogenetic, functional, and genetic dimensions, highlighting knowledge gaps and solutions. Research on Himalayan plant diversity has developed significantly. However, gaps remain, especially in studies on phylogenetic and functional diversity. The region's vegetation ranges from tropical rainforests to alpine ecosystems, with species richness typically following a hump-shaped distribution along elevation gradients. The eastern Himalaya exhibits higher plant diversity than the central and western regions. Low-elevation communities were found to be more functionally diverse, whereas high-elevation communities displayed greater ecological specialization. Communities at mid-elevations tend to show greater phylogenetic diversity than those at higher and lower elevations. The eastern and western flanks of the Himalaya retain high levels of genetic diversity and serve as glacial refugia, whereas the central region acts as a hybrid zone for closely related species. Himalayan plant diversity is shaped by historical, climatic, ecological and anthropogenic factors across space and time. However, this rich biodiversity is increasingly threatened by environmental change and growing anthropogenic pressures. Unfortunately, research efforts are constrained by spatial biases and the lack of transnational initiatives and collaborative studies, which could significantly benefit from interdisciplinary approaches, and other coordinated actions. These efforts are vital to safeguarding the Himalayan natural heritage.

关键词: Biodiversity hotspot, Elevational gradients, Functional diversity, Genetic diversity, Himalaya, Phylogenetic diversity