Floristics and Plant Biogeography in China

Abstract

In 1998, a revolutionary system of angiosperm classification, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system was published. Meanwhile, another new system of classification of angiosperms, the eight-class system was proposed by C. Y. Wu and colleagues based on long term work on the flora of China. The Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae project was initiated in 1959 and completed by 2004. It is the largest Flora so far completed in the world, including 31 228 species of vascular plants, or one-eighth of the global plant diversity. The English-language and updated Flora of China (FOC) is an international joint effort initiated in 1988 and accelerated in 1998. Up to now, 15 of the 24 volumes of the FOC have been published. Based on the floristic data, the composition, characteristics, floristic divisions and affinities of the flora of China have been studied by Wu and colleagues since 1965. In the past 10 years, analyses of the available floristic data have been very productive. The East Asiatic Floristic Kingdom was proposed in 1998. All 346 families of angiosperms in China, according to the eight-class system of classification, were comprehensively discussed by using knowledge of current and historical distribution of seed plants in the world, together with some morphological and molecular data. A scheme of distribution patterns or areal-types of families and genera of seed plants in China was modified and elucidated, together with a proposed scheme of areal-types of the world. Molecular phylogenetic and biogeographical studies of angiosperms in China in the past 10 years also witnessed a progressive development. Integration of morphological and molecular data and fossil evidence revealed some significant results. Eastern Asia, which used to be regarded as an important center of survival during the ice age, is likely an important center of diversification of angiosperms.

Phylogeny and Classification of Prunus sensu lato (Rosaceae)

“…Although Flora of China was aimed to be a revised version of Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (Li ), many Chinese authors preferred to leave such tasks to next generations as articulated by L. T. Lu (an expert of Rosaceae taxonomy, personal communication). This work is a commitment to our predecessors and also outlines the classification of Prunus in the forthcoming Flora of Pan‐Himalayas .…”

Comparative analysis of a large dataset indicates that internal transcribed spacer (ITS) should be incorporated into the core barcode for seed plants

“…China is a megadiverse country with 28,600 species (in ∼3,200 genera) of seed plants and contains 4 of the 34 recognized global biodiversity hotspots: the mountains of Central Asia, the Himalayas, the Indo-Myanmar region, and the mountains of Southwest China (16,17). China is also the center of distribution of many endemic-rich temperate genera, such as Pedicularis, Primula, and Rhododendron, and is the location of a unique evergreen broadleaved forest ecosystem dominated by subtropical species of Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Magnoliaceae, and Theaceae (18). Thus, a coordinated plant DNA-barcoding effort in China is of great significance in a global context.…”

Conservation of Chinese Plant Diversity: An Overview

“…After the difficult period of the Cultural Revolution, when all academic activities were largely stopped, scientific research received a new impulse, and some major publications started to appear, such as Vegetation of China (ECVC, 1980) whereas other works progressed rapidly, such as Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae, which was started in 1958 and whose 80 volumes were finally completed in 2004 (Li, 2008). Currently, the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) are working together on the Flora of China project (Fig.…”

“…This wealth of species diversity and endemism is attributable to a series of factors largely related to the biogeography, tectonics and geological history of the country, including: (i) a complex and extended geological history, with many tectonic events, (ii) a large proportion of the area of China within tropical and subtropical latitudes, (iii) the wide and persistent connection of China to tropical regions of Southeast Asia as well as with other regions, (iv) an unbroken connectivity between tropical, subtropical, temperate, and boreal forests, (v) a highly rugged and dissected topography (especially in southern China), and (vi) perhaps the most significant, reduced extinction rates during the late Cenozoic global cooling (e.g. Tiffney, 1985;Latham & Ricklefs, 1993;Axelrod et al, 1996;Guo et al, 1998;Guo, 1999;Qian & Ricklefs, 1999;Qian, 2001Qian, , 2002Ying, 2001;López-Pujol et al, 2006, 2011Qian et al, 2006;Wu et al, 2007;Li, 2008 One of the main features of Chinese vascular flora is its ancient origin; the modern flora of China is still showing a strong relictual character (Thorne, 1999;Qian & Ricklefs, 1999;Qian, 2001;López-Pujol & Ren, 2010;López-Pujol et al, 2011). This is directly linked to the geologic history of China's landmass, with some of the events influencing the flora composition tracing back to the early Mesozoic.…”

“…'plant museums') has been long recognized (e.g. Ying & Zhang, 1984;Wang, 1989;Wu & Wu, 1996;Li, 2008), and this is reflected in the exceptional richness of several phylogenetically primitive vascular plant groups in China; e.g., pteridophytes, gymnosperms, magnolids, and ranunculids (Qian & Ricklefs, 1999;Qian, 2001). China has a significantly higher number of ancient endemic genera and families than the United States (Qian, 2001), and most of the endemic genera of spermatophytes of China (about 240) are of ancient origin (Ying & Zhang, 1984;Ying et al, 1993;Wu et al, 2007).…”