PDIVCHINA

Plant biodiversity of China in a changing world: evolution and conservation

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'What determines large-scale patterns of species richness remains one of the oldest unresolved questions in biology. A plethora of hypotheses have been proposed to explain such patterns, most of which focus on the effects of contemporary processes and environment, especially those associated with climate. A current challenge for ecologists is to link the effect of such contemporary factors with factors associated with the evolutionary history of a region and its species.

By combining novel methods in macroecology with species distribution modeling in an integrated framework, I will explore the geographical patterns in species richness and associated phylogenetic structures using high-quality data of plant distributions and phylogenetic information. Additionally, I will determine the threats to plant biodiversity caused by global change in climate. Based on the identification of hotspots of evolutionary history and global changes, I will evaluate the efficiency of the nature reserve network in China.

My research will focus on eastern Asia using information on 11,405 species of woody plants. This large biogeographical region contains steep spatial variation in diversity and climate, making it immensely suitable for testing hypotheses proposed to explain species richness patterns. It is a region that has yet to be rigorously investigated using high quality data. Thus, knowledge from this project will compliment the many related studies based on European and North American data, thereby facilitating a more global overview on these issue.

I will be supervised by Prof. Carsten Rahbek, a leading scientist of macroecology and global change ecology, and hosted by the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, a Center of Excellence at the Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark. The proposed project, PDIVCHINA, will substantially improve my scientific competencies by providing multidisciplinary knowledge and advanced training for complementary scientific skills.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Understanding the mechanisms that drive biodiversity and species richness is critical to plant conservation in the face of climate change. However, these mechanisms remain one of biology's great unsolved mysteries.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

In the face of modern climate change, conservation depends on an understanding of what influences regional and global plant diversity. The plant biodiversity observed today is at least partially due to prehistoric climate patterns that influenced evolutionary history. And yet, questions remain regarding the large-scale biodiversity ramifications of ongoing climate shifts.

EU-funded researchers recognised that molecular and taxonomic relationships (phylogenies), compared with contemporary species distributions, could answer some questions. Working on the project 'Plant biodiversity of China in a changing world: Evolution and conservation' (PDIVCHINA), researchers focused on massive datasets for the Quercus and Rhododendron genera.

PDIVCHINA's results suggest prehistoric factors affected modern Quercus and Rhododendron distribution. In particular, where species' ranges decreased, evidence of prehistoric influence increased. Similarly, the high diversity of Rhododendron species can be attributed in part to serious climate shifts in the late Eocene and early Oligocene.

Additionally, PDIVCHINA developed extensive phylogenies for woody plant families, along with genus-level phylogenies of 70 families. In analysing these evolutionary relationships, PDIVCHINA found explicit results. South-eastern China hosts the oldest species; moving northward, there is a trend towards younger species.

PDIVCHINA also mapped the species distribution of 7 680 woody plants. With these maps in hand, researchers investigated how plants would respond to four distinct climate change scenarios. Intensive heterogeneity is most likely, and the Tibetan Plateau is likely to experience an advent of woody species, while southern China would lose these. Interestingly, PDIVCHINA predicted that phylogenetic diversity could be conserved at the family level, but species-level loses are to be expected.

Addressing contemporary conservation challenges, the researchers mapped China's biodiversity hotspots. They also assessed the relative phylogenetic diversity of China's endangered woody plants. PDIVCHINA then evaluated the socioeconomic and ecosystem services associated with woody plants within and outside the nation's natural reserves. The research team concluded that forest conservation is linked to rural poverty, and must therefore be included in rural development strategies.

PDIVCHINA has provided the world a refined picture of how climate shifts may affect plant biodiversity and the behaviour of humans who live near endangered plant species. Such comprehensive awareness is essential for scientists and policymakers tasked with conserving China's natural heritage.