Aims: As one of the most prominent highly specialized morphologies evolved in alpine subnival plants in Himalayan- Hengduan Mountains, Southwestern China, ‘greenhouse plant’ is characterized by the huge and semi-translucent bracts that cover inflorescence. However, unlike some typical ‘greenhouse plants’, such as Rheum nobile and R. alexandrae (Polygonaceae) and Saussurea obvallata (Asteraceae) that have their inflorescence covered by bracts throughout the entire growing season, some other plant species, such as S. velutina studied here has their inflorescence covered by bracts in the early part of the growing season only, while in the majority of the growing season, this plant chooses to extrude its inflorescence outside the cover of bracts till fruit maturation. The adaptive strategy behind such an alteration in morphology remained largely unknown. 

Methods: In this study we purposely investigated the thermal situation of the inflorescence in S. velutina after it has extruded from the bract covering. Given these bracts gradually changed their colors from green-yellow to deep pink-purple during this period and they are still attached to the inflorescence, we also assessed the optical properties of the deep pink-purple bracts and explored their potential role on attracting pollinators by assessing the visual model of the bracts to bumblebee (Bombus) as compared with bedrock in its natural habitat and the green-colored leaves. In addition, the influence of the deep pink-purple bracts on seed productions was investigated by gently striping these bracts off. 

Results: Our results showed that the temperature of inflorescence remained on average 3–5 K (Calvin temperature index, used to indicate the differences of temperature) higher than adjacent air temperature at the same height of the plant individuals (15–20 cm above ground) during both daytime and nighttime, with the greatest deviation (> 20 K) reaching at sunny-days. Under all prevailing weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, rainy), the dark and solid inflorescence exhibited a pronounced heating efficiency (> 40%) and the buffering capacity of which reached at nearly 100 min as compared with adjacent air temperature. However, although the deep pink-purple bracts could still exhibit selective filtering (24.4%–36.0%) of red and infrared wavelength range that were attributed to warming effects, the artificial treatment on inflorescence did not significantly reduce the seed quantity and quality compared with controlled inflorescence with bracts kept their natural morphology. The color distance from pink-purple bracts to green leaves (0.30 ± 0.02 CH) was significantly higher than the color distance of Bombus terrestris for recognizing one object from the background. suggesting a function of pollinator attraction of pink-purple bracts and call for some more in situ observations and experiments (e.g. examinations on the impact of bracts on pollination visit rates) to further support this conclusion. 

Conclusion: The warming and buffering effects of the inflorescence of S. velutina are explained by its dark and solid structure. Such a highly specialized morphology is an adaptive strategy of subnival plant against the cool climate during the majority of summer monsoon and short period of growing season in their habitat at exceptionally high elevations.

Aims: Pollinator-mediated variation in floral morphology is mostly observed in specialized pollination systems. For widely distributed plants that rely on generalized pollination, it remains unclear how their morphological traits and pollinator assemblages vary along geographical gradients, and their correlations with latitude, longitude and altitude. Our preliminary study has revealed that Dipsacus asper (Dipsacaceae) is widely distributed in southwestern China and exhibits a typical generalized pollination system, making it an ideal material for investigating this question. 

Methods: In this study, we took D. asper as the experimental material and conducted field investigations across 13 wild populations in Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces. We measured the morphological traits of the plants, compared the morphological characteristics among populations, and calculated the coefficients of variation (CV) within and between populations. Additionally, we observed and recorded the pollinator types in each population and calculated their visitation frequencies. We also measured the body characteristics of the main pollinator bumblebees. Finally, we quantified natural seed set of D. asper across the different populations. 

Results: The results indicated significant variation in the morphological traits of D. asper across different populations. Specifically, the CV were high for leaf and stem traits, whereas inflorescence size showed low variation. Dipsacus asper plants from Xiaojin, Jianshi, Yanyuan, and Xishui populations exhibited larger inflorescences compared to other populations. The primary pollinators of D. asper included Bombus, Apis, Eristalis, and Lepidoptera, with bees serving as key pollinators. Both pollinator composition and visitation frequency varied markedly among populations. The larger-bodied bumblebees was main pollinator for plant in Xiaojin, Jianshi, Yanyuan, and Xishui populations. There was no significant correlation between the floral tube length of D. asper and the proboscis length of widely distributed Bombus friseanus. Plant height, stem, leaf, and inflorescence size of D. asper, as well as the morphological traits of B. friseanus, decreased significantly with increasing elevation and they also varied with longitude and latitude. Plant height and the proboscis length of B. friseanus increased significantly with increasing longitude, while the sizes of stems, leaves, inflorescences, and the abdomen of B. friseanus decreased significantly with increasing longitude. Leaf size, inflorescence size, the thickness of the head and thorax, and the abdomen of B. friseanus increased significantly with increasing latitude, whereas the proboscis length of B. friseanus decreased significantly with increasing latitude. Additionally, the natural seed set of D. asper with different geographical distributions showed an increasing trend with the increase of longitude, a significant decreasing trend with the increase of latitude, and a significant increasing trend with the increase of altitude. 

Conclusion: The morphological traits and pollinator diversity of widely distributed plant species exhibit significant variation along geographical gradients. This variation may result from the combined effects of plant–pollinator interactions and abiotic environmental factors. Across different geographical environments, plants ensure their reproductive success by adapting floral morphology and utilizing diverse pollinators.

Aims: This study examined the influence of environmental factors on the survival of introduced plants in a botanical garden, focusing on the effects of climate and soil differences between the botanical garden and the native ranges of the plants. 

Methods: We constructed mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards models to quantify the effects of climatic and edaphic differences on plant survival based on a database comprising 2,234 individuals from 1,232 introduced species at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

Results: In climate-driven models, those based on the median values of climate variables across the species’ overall distribution ranges demonstrated the strongest empirical support (ΔAIC ≤ 3). In addition to species growth form, these models highlighted significant influence of mean annual temperature and minimum temperature of coldest month in the ranges of species studied, while precipitation of driest month, precipitation of wettest month, and annual precipitation in the ranges of species exhibited weaker yet statistically significant effects. Herbaceous plants showed a lower mortality risk than woody plants. In soil-driven models, those based on provenance soil conditions yielded the best performance. Topsoil organic carbon and gravel content emerged as the primary edaphic factors influencing survival. Herbaceous plants showed a higher mortality risk than woody plants. 

Conclusion: Climate and edaphic factors substantially impact the survival of ex situ tropical plants. Key drivers include the mean annual temperature, minimum temperature of coldest month, topsoil organic carbon, and topsoil gravel content in species’ native range, in addition to species growth form. Botanical gardens should prioritize aligning the overall climatic distribution of species and provenance edaphic conditions when planning introductions to enhance survival rates and the effectiveness of living collections.

Aims: The black musk deer (Moschus fuscus) is listed as an endangered (EN) species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is classified as a first-class National Key Protected Wildlife in China. However, prior research has predominantly focused on its taxonomy, morphology, and localized distribution surveys. Understanding the distribution and activity rhythms of sympatric ungulates can help elucidate their niche relationships and coexistence mechanisms. 

Methods: Data were collected from 169 camera traps deployed in Gedang, Medog, southeastern Xizang from April 2023 to June 2025, which systematically monitored the black musk deer and its sympatric ungulate species. 

Results: The results revealed that among the six ungulate species, there were a total of 3,255 independent detections, with the black musk deer detected 202 times, indicating a relatively low relative abundance index (RAI = 3.38). The black musk deer was primarily detected at high elevations > 3,500 m, accounting for 70.30% of its total independent detections. In contrast, other ungulate species exhibited different elevation preferences. Himalayan serow (Capricornis thar) and Himalayan takin (Budorcas taxicolor) exhibited wide elevational ranges across high- and low-elevation habitats, whereas red goral (Naemorhedus baileyi), Gongshan muntjac (Muntiacus gongshanensis) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) preferred mid- to low-elevation habitats. The distribution pattern of these species reflects a “vertical stratification” mechanism of habitat-niche partitioning. Seasonal activity patterns revealed that the black musk deer had a higher activity frequency in winter, peaking in January. Meanwhile, the species displayed the lowest minimum ambient temperature threshold for activity among sympatric ungulates across spring, autumn and winter, and its upper and mean ambient temperatures during activity in all seasons were also the lowest recorded among these species, underscoring its adaptation to alpine-cold environments. Additionally, the black musk deer exhibited a strongly nocturnal activity pattern, with a night-time relative abundance index (NRAI) as high as 0.98. Daily activity rhythm analysis revealed that the black musk deer became active at 17:00 in the evening, with activity frequency increasing until it peaked at 3:00 in the early morning; during the daytime from 10:00 to 16:00, virtually no activity was recorded. There was significant differentiation in the daily activity rhythms between the black musk deer and its sympatric ungulate species, especially with the diurnal wild boar, with an activity overlap index of only 0.140. 

Conclusion: Based on extensive field surveys, this study provided the first detailed insights into the “high elevation + extremely nocturnal” pattern of habitat selection and activity rhythms of the black musk deer population, offering an important scientific basis for the conservation and management of the wild population of this species and other rare and endangered wild animals in southeastern Xizang, as well as for subsequent research.

Aims: Mountain ungulates are crucial components of forest ecosystems, playing a significant role in sustaining biodiversity and ecological functions. However, understanding of ungulate population dynamics based on systematic long-term monitoring, and their long-term responses to human activities remain limited, especially in areas where large carnivores are absent. This study aims to investigate the interannual changes of site use and the environmental factors influencing the occupancy of common ungulates in a region historically lacking large carnivores. 

Methods: We conducted long-term monitoring by deploying 25 infrared camera grids in Guanba Village, Pingwu County, Mianyang City, located in the southern Minshan Mountains of Southwest China (2019–2023). We focused on analyzing the interannual changes of site use and the factors affecting the occupancy rate for five common ungulate species: Chinese goral (Naemorhedus griseus), Reeves’s muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi), tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), and takin (Budorcas tibetanus). 

Results: The findings revealed that four of the five monitored ungulate species (excluding wild boar) exhibited an increasing trend in both site use rate and relative abundance index. Notably, the occupancy rate of takins increased from 0.12 in 2019 to 0.74 in 2023. Model averaging of single-season occupancy models indicated that the impact of human activities varied across species: only takins were significantly and positively influenced by distance to roads across several years (w = 0.919, 1.000, and 0.522 in respective years), consistently showing a preference for areas further from roads. The key environmental covariates affecting occupancy varied by species types and year, suggesting that ungulates flexibly adjust their habitat use in response to shifting environmental resource pressures. 

Conclusion: This study provides a supplement to the population dynamics of ungulates in areas where large carnivores are absent and explores the patterns of environmental factors influencing ungulate occupancy rates. The results offer a scientific basis for the adaptive management of mountain ecosystems in Southwest China.

Aim: In response to ongoing global biodiversity decline, reintroduction serves as a vital conservation strategy for rescuing endangered species and restoring regional biodiversity. Pre-release acclimation plays an indispensable role in this process, as it prepares captive-bred individuals—which often lack survival experience in the wild—for release. Food-based enrichment constitutes a core element of such training, primarily by modifying food types and simulating natural foraging environments to enhance animals’ adaptability to local food resources. However, research on the dynamic process of food enrichment and its quantitative evaluation remains scarce. To assess the adaptability of the Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) to coastal wetland foods and to explore the application of behavioral methods in evaluating the effectiveness of acclimation, this study examined the Crested Ibis undergoing acclimation at the Jiangsu Yancheng Wetland & Rare Birds National Nature Reserve. 

Methods: We conducted 37 diet-shifting experiments during July and August 2023. Firstly, we employed the all-occurrence sampling method to record the diversity of coastal foods consumed and the frequencies of associated behaviors (observing, probing, ingesting). Secondly, we used generalized linear models (GLMs) to analyze foraging behavior, foraging activity, and adaptation time in the diet-shifting experiments. Counts of observing, probing, and ingesting behaviors per round were initially modeled with Poisson GLM, switching to negative binomial GLM if overdispersion was detected. Normality of daily total foraging amount, daily foraging ratio, first probing time, and first ingesting time was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Normally distributed data were analyzed with linear regression, right-skewed data with Gamma GLM, and left-skewed data with inverse Gaussian GLM. 

Results: The results revealed a clear dietary shift in the Crested Ibis individuals throughout the experiments. Their consumption of coastal foods increased to 78.47%, while their reliance on loach declined progressively, demonstrating a strong potential for adaptation to local wild food resources. Secondly, the behavioral adaptation of the Crested Ibis individuals followed a sequential process of “observing-probing-ingesting”. With the progression of the diet-shifting experiments, the frequencies of probing and ingesting behaviors increased significantly (P < 0.001), reflecting the dynamic process of food-based enrichment driving positive adjustments in behavioral structure. Individual adaptability also varied. Less mobile individuals accepted fewer types of coastal foods and took longer to first probe and ingest them than more mobile individuals. 

Conclusion: This study, based on behavioral methodologies, revealed the promotive effect of food enrichment on behavioral diversity from a temporal perspective. The findings indicated that scientifically designed food enrichment training can effectively guide positive adjustments in the behavioral organization of captive animals, thereby increasing the diversity of their natural exploratory and functional foraging behaviors. Based on the results, we recommend establishing a full-cycle “acclimation-release-monitoring” food enrichment management protocol in reintroduction practice. Specifically, this entails pre-release systematic diet-shifting training to broaden the food spectrum of endangered species, the establishment of individual behavioral profiles for quality assessment and precise release planning, and the transitional food supplement feeding based on highly adaptive foods after releasing. This study provides crucial theoretical underpinnings and practical support for optimizing reintroduction protocols for the Crested Ibis and other endangered species.

Aims: The selection of nocturnal roosting sites is a critical aspect of urban birds’ adaptation and survival within built environments. Existing studies have predominantly focused on macrohabitat or microhabitat characteristics, yet lack precise measurement methods and research on the perching branch information directly utilized by birds. LiDAR technology, with its high-precision data measurement capabilities, makes it possible to study the three-dimensional structure of avian perching branches. As a typical urban-adapted species, crows often form large-scale aggregated roosting groups in cities in winter, triggering human–wildlife conflict issues. To explore the key factors influencing their nocturnal roost selection and verify the feasibility of LiDAR in the refined research of bird habitats, this study took winter roosting crows in urban Beijing as the focal species and conducted surveys in the main crow aggregation areas within the 6th Ring Road of Beijing from 2023 to 2025. 

Methods: Based on data collected on 18 habitat factors from 36 roosting quadrats and 36 control quadrats, we further employed terrestrial laser scanning to measure four variables for 1,361 roosting branches and 581 control branches. Among the control branches, 349 were from roosting trees and 232 from non-roosting trees. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare differences in the 18 habitat factors between roosting and control quadrats. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to examine pairwise differences among roosting branches, control branches on roosting trees, and control branches on non-roosting trees. Further, generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) and generalized linear models (GLMs) were adopted to identify the key variables affecting crow nocturnal roost selection. 

Results: The results indicated that tree height, canopy closure, crown width, noise levels, and illuminance were significantly higher in roosting quadrats compared to control quadrats. Furthermore, the height, diameter, and length of nocturnal roosting branches were significantly greater than those of both control branch groups, while the branch angle was significantly smaller. Between the two control groups, only branch height showed a significant difference. Analyses using GLMM revealed that tree height and noise levels were key habitat factors affecting nocturnal roost selection. GLM analyses revealed that branch angle, the quadratic term of branch height, and the interaction between branch diameter and branch length all had significant effects on the nocturnal roosting site selection by crows. 

Conclusion: Crows exhibited a clear preference for nocturnal roosting sites characterized by taller trees and higher ambient noise levels. At the branch scale, they selectively perched on branches positioned at greater heights with shallower angles, which were typically either long and moderately thick or short and thick. This study elucidates the nocturnal roosting selection mechanism of crows in urban Beijing and offers a scientific basis for evidence-based urban bird management. Furthermore, it demonstrates the feasibility and distinct advantages of employing LiDAR technology in fine-scale habitat research, highlighting its potential to advance urban ornithological studies.

Aims: In the Anthropocene, rapid urban expansion has turned cities into important habitats for many species. However, basic information on wildlife composition and distribution in large cities is often lacking, fragmented, or outdated. As a national central city and the core engine of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou lacks systematic research on its wildlife diversity and habitat distribution. This study aims to systematically compile data on wild terrestrial vertebrates in Guangzhou and identify key habitats to inform conservation planning. 

Methods: Based on field surveys, we collected and integrated data from literature, monographs, news reports, and citizen science databases. We analyzed potential species distributions using the MaxEnt model and evaluated key wildlife habitats by combining the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method (EWM). 

Results: (1) A total of 690 species of wild terrestrial vertebrates, belonging to 33 orders and 134 families, were recorded in Guangzhou. Among them, 100 species were newly recorded, such as Amolops hongkongensis, Achalinus spinalis, Grus monacha, and Chimarrogale leander. (2) Animal diversity showed a pattern of higher richness in the east and lower in the west, with hotspots concentrated in the mountainous areas of Conghua in the north, the hilly farmland of Zengcheng in the east, and the wetlands of Nansha in the south. (3) We identified 24 key wildlife habitats covering a total area of 1,299.5 km². The existing protected area network covers approximately 83% (1,078.9 km²) of these key habitats, but a 17% protected gap (220.6 km²). 

Conclusion: This study updates the inventory of wild terrestrial vertebrates and their key habitats in Guangzhou, providing a scientific basis for urban conservation planning and management. It also offers a valuable model for biodiversity inventory, pattern analysis, and conservation research in highly urbanized areas.

Aims: Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are key plant symbionts in terrestrial ecosystems. Investigating the responses of AM fungal communities to precipitation changes and their relationships with vegetation and soil factors is of great theoretical importance for understanding the stability of desert steppe ecosystems. 

Methods: A precipitation manipulation experiment was conducted in Yanchi County, Ningxia, China, from 2019 to 2021 using a completely randomized design. Five precipitation treatments were established: D50 (natural precipitation–50%), D25 (natural precipitation–25%), CK (natural precipitation), I25 (natural precipitation+25%), and I50 (natural precipitation+50%). Based on Illumina high-throughput sequencing combined with Mantel analysis, random forest analysis, and partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM), we examined the effects of altered precipitation regimes on the diversity, richness, and community composition of soil AM fungi in the desert steppe ecosystems and identified their main driving factors. 

Results: Plant cover, biomass, and Shannon diversity index of the desert steppe were sensitive to precipitation changes. Compared with CK, the D50 treatment significantly reduced the Shannon index, Sobs index, ACE index and Chao1 index of AM fungi by 31.64%, 53.32%, 62.41% and 58.77%, respectively. However, the relative abundances of dominant AM fungal genera did not differ significantly among precipitation treatments. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis indicated that precipitation gradients significantly affected AM fungal community composition. Random forest analyses revealed that plant diversity and cover were the primary determinants of AM fungal diversity, AM fungal richness was mainly regulated by soil pH, and AM fungal community composition was primarily influenced by precipitation and NO3–-N. The PLS-PM results further showed that precipitation indirectly affected AM fungal community composition by altering soil moisture, indirectly increased AM fungal diversity through plant communities, and indirectly increased AM fungal richness through changes in soil pH. 

Conclusion: Precipitation changes regulate the coupling relationships between vegetation and soil factors, thereby driving shifts in the diversity, richness and composition of AM fungal communities in desert steppe ecosystems. These findings reveal that mycorrhizal symbiosis is highly sensitive to precipitation variation, offering new insights into how climate change regulates desert steppe ecosystems.

Aims: Mowing and mulching are key physical measures for controlling the invasive plant Spartina alterniflora in coastal wetlands. However, their long-term effects on soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities remain unclear. 

Methods: This study investigated soil from the S. alterniflora-invaded tidal flats in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. Four treatment combinations were established: removal versus retention of cut S. alterniflora residues under mulching conditions, and removal versus retention under non-mulching conditions. Soil physicochemical parameters were measured, and soil bacterial community characteristics were analyzed via amplicon sequencing to examine correlations between bacterial community composition and environmental factors. 

Results: (1) Retaining S. alterniflora residues significantly increased soil total nitrogen, total carbon, organic carbon, and available potassium content. (2) Long-term mulching markedly reduced soil bacterial α diversity and the relative abundance of dominant bacterial taxa, and altered the community structure. Under the residue-removal mulching treatment, bacterial Pielou’s evenness and Simpson’s diversity indices were significantly lower than those in other treatments. The relative abundances of the Campylobacterota phylum and Sulfurovum genus significantly increased under residue-removal mulching. (3) Temperature, total nitrogen, total carbon, organic carbon, and available potassium jointly influenced the abundance of dominant bacteria such as Vibrio and Salinimicrobium, collectively explaining 74.6% of the variation in community structure. 

Conclusion: In summary, mulching after mowing is an effective physical control measure for S. alterniflora. However, long-term mulching combined with residue removal significantly reduces soil bacterial community diversity and alters community structure. Therefore, after mowing, a reasonable mulching duration should be established and mowed plant residues retained to avoid substantial negative impacts on soil bacterial community diversity and structure.

Aim: The chloroplast genome has been widely used for plant species identification, delimitation, and phylogenetic reconstruction due to its structural conservation, maternal uniparental inheritance, and high copy number. However, the chloroplast genome cannot effectively reflect pollen-mediated gene flow, is sensitive to genetic drift, and is susceptible to incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization events. Therefore, in plant identification and population evolutionary history studies, relying solely on chloroplast genome evidence may lead to biased or incomplete conclusions. 

Methods: This study performed whole-chloroplast genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation for seven Pterocarya individuals, and conducted comparative genomic and phylogenetic analyses incorporating published data. 

Results: The chloroplast genome ranged in length from 160,176 to 160,318 bp and exhibited a typical quadripartite structure, encoding 131 genes (86 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). The number of SSR loci ranged from 87 to 96, dominated by mononucleotide repeats. Comparative genomic analysis indicated that chloroplast genomes among Pterocarya species were highly conserved overall. The sequence conservation of the inverted repeat regions and coding regions was higher than that of the single-copy regions and non-coding regions. Notably, within the coding regions, the ndhF gene exhibited significantly higher sequence variation than other protein-coding genes. The results of phylogenetic analysis showed that the phylogenetic trees constructed based on different data partitions (whole genome, protein-coding sequence, hypervariable regions, and sliding windows) exhibited various topological structures with two to five major clades. Individuals of species such as P. stenoptera, P. macroptera var. macroptera, and P. insignis consistently showed lineage admixture and cross-clade distribution across different analyses. 

Conclusion: The chloroplast genome exhibits significant limitations in resolving species identification and biogeographic history within the genus Pterocarya, and relying solely on its data may lead to systematic bias. Therefore, future studies on plant phylogenetics should integrate nuclear genomic data and employ multispecies coalescent methods to achieve more accurate species identification and evolutionary relationship reconstruction.

Aims: Southwest China is characterized by complex topography, diverse ecological conditions, and abundant indigenous chicken genetic resources. This study aims to systematically evaluate the genetic diversity of local chicken populations in this region, together with potential introgression from exotic commercial breeds, as this is essential for the conservation and sustainable utilization of these valuable genetic resources. 

Methods: In this study, 21 representative indigenous chicken breeds from Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Tibet, together with commonly used commercial chicken breeds, were investigated. The complete mitochondrial DNA control region (D-loop) was amplified and sequenced, and the resulting sequences were used to assess genetic diversity, haplotype composition, phylogenetic relationships, and potential maternal introgression from commercial breeds. 

Results: A total of 1,146 complete D-loop sequences were obtained. The overall haplotype diversity (Hd) and nucleotide diversity (Piπ) were 0.943 and 0.00699, respectively, indicating a relatively high level of maternal genetic diversity across indigenous chicken populations in Southwest China, although diversity differed among breeds. Tajima’s D values for Daweishan mini chicken and Pingwu red chicken deviated significantly from neutrality, suggesting possible selection or demographic events. In total, 70 polymorphic sites and 105 haplotypes were identified, which were assigned to seven haplogroups (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G), with haplogroups A, B, and E being dominant. Phylogenetic and median-joining network analyses showed that the haplogroups formed relatively independent lineages, and that the genetic relationships among populations were more closely associated with dominant haplotype composition than with geographic distribution. Several haplotypes were widely shared among breeds and regions, indicating complex historical differentiation and gene flow. All commercial breeds belonged to haplogroup E. Except for Chahua chicken and Dulong chicken, all indigenous breeds contained varying proportions of haplogroup E haplotypes and shared core haplotypes with commercial breeds. In several populations, the proportion of haplogroup E was relatively high, suggesting possible maternal introgression from exotic lineages. 

Conclusion: Indigenous chickens in Southwest China still retain abundant maternal genetic variation overall. However, the elevated proportion of haplogroup E in some populations indicates that maternal genetic structure may have been influenced by exogenous commercial lineages. Strengthening the standardized management of conservation populations and carefully regulating the introduction of exotic bloodlines will therefore be important for maintaining genetic diversity and lineage integrity. These findings provide an important molecular genetic basis for the scientific conservation and rational utilization of indigenous chicken resources in Southwest China.

Aims: Spice plants are one of the most significant commodities in global trade since the Age of Exploration and they still hold important economic and medicinal value nowadays. Ethnobotanical research on spice plants meets the needs of modern society and aligns with modern societal demands and the development trends of the “Big Health” industry. Ethnobotany studies play a crucial role in promoting the utilization of plant resources and the economic development of ethnic regions by offering unprecedented clues for screening medicines related to human safety and pharmacological activity. China, Myanmar, and Laos tropical regions are one of the global biodiversity hotspots with abundant spice plants and cultural diversity. This study aims to catalogue the traditional knowledge of spice plants consumed by the ethnic groups in these regions, thereby providing a scientific basis for their conservation and sustainable utilization. 

Methods: Based on ethnobotanical principles and multidisciplinary approaches, integrating botany, anthropology, pharmacology, linguistics, ecology, and economics, field surveys were conducted in China, Myanmar and Laos tropical regions. Semi-structured interviews (“5W+H”), village and market investigations, were done among eight ethnic groups, including Dai, Hani, Yao, Lao, Khmu, Burmese, Chin, and Kachin people. Literature on spice plants published in English or Chinese from 1985 to 2024 were reviewed. The spice plants diversity, traditional knowledge, resources origin and conservation status were systematically collected. Use value (UV) and Jaccard index (JI) were analyzed. 

Results: A total of 414 spice plant species (including varieties) belonging to 63 families and 206 genera were documented. Among 300 medicinal, 123 edibles, 95 flavoring and 74 dual-purpose (medicinal-edible) species, 54.83% were herbs, with leaves (46.62%) and roots (20.77%) as the main used parts. Spice plants with a UV greater than 0.2 are predominantly multifunctional medicinal-food species. Of all recorded species, 178 could only be collected from wild, 185 were cultivated; however, only about 12% of them have fully completed the transition from wild harvesting to cultivation and market sale. The Jaccard index of spice plants utilization across the three countries is relatively low (JI, 0.20–0.25), indicating the rich cultural diversity and distinct ethnobotanical traditions shaped by long-term adaptation to different ecological and cultural contexts in these regions. There were 52 (12.56%) species under protection or threaten, and 15 nationally protected or rare and endangered spice plants were identified for priority investigation, conservation and utilization. 

Conclusions: This study provides the world’s first comprehensive and systematic ethnobotanical catalogue of spice plants utilized by local ethnic communities in the tropical regions of China, Myanmar, and Laos. It not only provides an initial intellectual prototype for the sustainable development and cross-border utilization of spice plant resources in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, but also offers fundamental data and scientific case for promoting transboundary cultural and biodiversity conservation and contributes to the green development of the Belt and Road.

Aims: The rapid development of China’s distant-water fisheries has exerted significant negative impacts on the marine ecological environment and the survival of marine mammals. Acoustic recognition of marine mammals can facilitate monitoring of their population dynamics and habitat changes, playing a crucial role in ecological monitoring, conservation, and research. To address the challenges of background noise interference and low accuracy in feature extraction and classification of marine mammal vocalizations, this paper proposes a classification method based on an improved spectral subtraction technique combined with stacking ensemble learning. 

Methods: (1) Variational mode decomposition (VMD) is utilized to decompose noisy audio signals into multiple frequency bands. Noise-dominant modes are identified using the Pearson correlation coefficient and are subsequently suppressed through targeted spectral subtraction. (2) For feature extraction, a fusion strategy is employed that combines time-domain and frequency-domain statistical features with deep representations extracted from Mel spectrograms via a convolutional neural network (CNN). To enhance class separability and reduce dimensionality, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is applied, producing a compact and discriminative feature set. (3) In the classification phase, a stacking ensemble model is built by integrating five base learners—SVM, KNN, XGBoost, MLP, and GNB—whose predictions are aggregated using LightGBM as the meta-learner. 

Results: Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method significantly enhances classification performance in low-frequency marine mammal sound recognition. The improved spectral subtraction effectively reduces background noise while preserving critical acoustic features. The fusion of Mel-spectrogram deep features with statistical features, followed by LDA dimensionality reduction, produces highly discriminative feature vectors. The stacking ensemble model, integrating five diverse base learners with LightGBM as the meta-learner, achieves a classification accuracy of 94.78%, surpassing the best-performing individual model by 5.12% and the worst-performing by 9.89%. Additionally, the model exhibits robust performance across imbalanced classes, maintaining high precision and recall even for underrepresented species. 

Conclusion: This study presents an effective framework for low-frequency marine mammal acoustic classification under complex oceanic noise conditions. By integrating VMD-based spectral subtraction for noise suppression, multi-domain feature extraction, and a stacking ensemble model, the proposed method achieves superior classification accuracy and generalization ability. The results validate that combining domain knowledge in signal processing with ensemble learning strategies can significantly improve the robustness and precision of marine bioacoustic monitoring systems. This approach holds promise for real-time ecological surveillance and conservation applications in noisy marine environments.

Background & Aims: Global biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate. As a widespread and diverse taxonomic group, birds are crucial indicators, and understanding drivers and consequences of their population dynamics is vital for biodiversity conservation. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), a non-invasive technique with high spatiotemporal resolution, offers a revolutionary tool for large-scale, long-term avian diversity surveys. Despite the rapid development of PAM globally, its application in China is currently hampered by scattered projects, heterogeneous equipment, and inconsistent methodologies. This has resulted in a “data island” dilemma, significantly hindering data integration and comparability and limiting the utility of these data for biodiversity policy and conservation. This study aims to provide a scientific blueprint and implementation guide for establishing a standardized, networked, and intelligent avian acoustic monitoring system in China. 

Method Results: We systematically reviewed the corresponding urgent needs of PAM in light of the global loss of avian biodiversity. We then compared and analyzed the technical development, network construction, and data-sharing experiences of avian PAM both internationally and domestically, identifying the core challenges China faces due to the lack of unified standards. Drawing on successful international PAM practices, we propose a comprehensive framework of standards suitable for China. This framework covers the entire workflow, from monitoring design and core technical parameters to metadata standards and data processing and analysis. 

Perspectives: Finally, we present a series of actionable recommendations and a strategic roadmap for future implementation. These proposals address multiple facets, including top-level design, national network construction, technological innovation, data sharing mechanisms, and essential policy support, charting a clear course for the future of avian acoustic monitoring in the nation.

Background & Aims: As the first overseas national flora project fully funded by Chinese Academy of Sciences, Flora of Kenya is a collaborative project organized by Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences and National Museum of Kenya, involving more than 180 researchers from over 20 institutions. The project aims to systematically document over 7,000 species of vascular plants in Kenya, with a total of 31 planned volumes. 

Review Results: Following a “co-compilation and joint publication” model, the project has organized and conducted over 60 joint Sino-Kenyan field expeditions, collected more than 12,000 specimens, discovered and published 22 new species (included 1 new variety), and completed two volumes—Rubiaceae and Orchidaceae, successively. The achievement has been recognized as “an important contribution to biodiversity conservation”. Notably, the Orchidaceae volume was presented as a national gift, symbolizing a flagship outcome of China-Africa scientific cooperation. 

Conclusion: Through technology transfer, knowledge sharing, and capacity building, the project establishes a new paradigm for South-South cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, enhancing China’s leadership role in global biodiversity research and conservation.

Aims: Pteropods (Mollusca: Gastropoda) play a key role in marine ecosystems, contributing to critical processes such as the marine food web and carbon cycle. However, their diversity and distribution in the South China Sea (SCS) remain poorly understood. To address these gaps and enhance the understanding of their regional biogeography, this study aimed to systematically investigate the species diversity and spatial distribution patterns of pteropods (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in the South China Sea. 

Methods: Zooplankton samples were collected during four cruises across various ecological regions, including estuarine, shelf, basin, and island/reef areas of the South China Sea between 2022 and 2023. Species were identified based on morphological examination using stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Ecological indices, including species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Pielou evenness index, and dominance index, were calculated to analyze community structure. 

Results: A total of 26 pteropod species belonging to 13 families and 18 genera were identified, including four new records for the South China Sea: Diacavolinia elegans, Desmopterus gardineri, Notobranchaea tetrabranchiate, and Cliopsis krohnii. Notable regional heterogeneity was observed: the Pearl River Estuary–western shelf area showed the highest species richness (22 species), while the northern island/reef area had the lowest (6 species). Horizontally, coastal areas exhibited higher abundance but lower diversity, whereas open-sea areas showed the reverse pattern. Vertically, pteropods were predominantly concentrated in the 0–200 m layer, with abundance and diversity declining sharply with depth. The composition of dominant species varied markedly among different ecological regions. 

Conclusion: This study updates the species checklist of pteropods in the South China Sea and reveals clear spatial partitioning in their community structure, reflecting adaptations to distinct habitats. The findings provide essential baseline data for understanding regional marine biodiversity and monitoring ecosystem changes in this marginal sea.