Today East Asia harbors many “relict” plant species whose ranges were much larger during the Paleogene-Neogene and earlier. The ecological and climatic conditions suitable for these relict species have not been identified. Here, we map the abundance and distribution patterns of relict species, showing high abundance in the humid subtropical/warm-temperate forest regions. We further use Ecological Niche Modeling to show that these patterns align with maps of climate refugia, and we predict species’ chances of persistence given the future climatic changes expected for East Asia. By 2070, potentially suitable areas with high richness of relict species will decrease, although the areas as a whole will probably expand. We identify areas in southwestern China and northern Vietnam as long-term climatically stable refugia likely to preserve ancient lineages, highlighting areas that could be prioritized for conservation of such species.

Since China's economic reform in the late 1970s, Shanghai, the country's largest and most modern city, has experienced rapid expansion and urbanization. Here, we explore its land‐use and land‐cover changes, focusing on the impacts of the urbanization process on air and water quality, local climate, and biodiversity. Over the past 30 years, Shanghai's urban area and green land (eg urban parks, street trees, lawns) have increased dramatically, at the expense of cropland. Concentrations of major air pollutants (eg SO2, NOx, and total suspended particles) were higher in urban areas than in suburban and rural areas. Overall, however, concentrations have decreased (with the exception of NOx), due primarily to a decline in coal consumption by industry and in private households. Increased NOx pollution was mainly attributed to the huge increase in the number of vehicles on the roads. Water quality changes showed a pattern similar to that of air quality, with the most severe pollution occurring in urban areas. Differences in mean air temperatures between urban and rural areas also increased, in line with the rapid pace of urban expansion, indicating an accelerating “urban heat island” effect. Urban expansion also led to a decrease in native plant species. Despite its severe environmental problems, Shanghai has also seen major economic development. Managing the tradeoffs between urbanization and environmental protection will be a major challenge for Chinese policy makers.

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Abbreviations CI = Coldness index; DBT = Deciduous broadleaved species; EBT = Evergreen broad-leaved species; EDF ecotone = Evergreen-deciduous broad-leaved forest ecotone; IV = Relative importance value; WI = Warmth index. AbstractQuestion: Topography has distinct effects on local-scale vegetation distribution by creating heterogeneous habitats. In ecotones, which are sensitive to environmental variation, this effect on vegetation differentiation may be magnified at a regional scale. Here, we evaluate vegetation transition patterns across an evergreen-deciduous broad-leaved forest ecotone (EDF ecotone) in eastern China, to investigate whether the transition pattern differs between two topographic positions with different habitats, and identify underlying environmental mechanisms driving variation in species-and trait-based community structure. Conclusions:Our results suggest different roles of thermal conditions and water availability in determining transition patterns between the two topographies. Evergreen Castanopsis trees, having less cold tolerance, make transitions on the upper slope more sensitive to thermal conditions. Cyclobalanopsis trees, which prefer wet habitats, make the transition on the lower slope more sensitive to water availability. Based on the present findings, we predict that the EDF ecotone will become narrower and there will be a sharper boundary between the evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forests of eastern China under warmer and drier climate conditions.

The biomass and productivity of Schima superba-Castanopsis carlesii forests in Tiantong, Zhejiang Province, were determined using overlapping quadrants and stem analyses. The total community biomass was (225.3+/-30.1) t hm(-2), of which the aboveground parts accounted for 72.0% and the underground parts accounted for 28.0%. About 87.2% of biomass existed in the tree layer. The resprouting biomass was small, of which over 95.0% occurred in the shrub layer. The productivity of the aboveground parts of the community was (386.8+/-98.9) g m(-2)a(-1), in which more than 96.0% was present at the tree level. The trunk's contribution to productivity was the greatest, while that of leaves was the smallest. In China, the community biomass of subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests differs significantly with the age of the forest. The community biomass of the 52-year-old S. superba-C. carlesii forests in this study was lower than the average biomass of subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests in China, and was lower than the biomass of other subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests elsewhere in the world. Moreover, its productivity was lower than the model estimate, indicating that without disturbance, this community has great developmental potential in terms of community biomass and productivity.