Incorporating global change reveals extinction risk beyond the current Red List.

Global changes over the past few decades have caused species distribution shifts and triggered population declines and local extinctions of many species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (Red List) is regarded as the most comprehensive tool for assessing species extinction risk and has been used at regional, national, and global scales. However, most Red Lists rely on the past and current status of species populations and distributions but do not adequately reflect the risks induced by future global changes.

Geographical distribution and conservation strategy of national key protected wild plants of China.

National key protected wild plants (NKPWPs) are considered flagship species for plant diversity conservation in China. Using data for 1101 species, we characterized NKPWPs distribution patterns in China and assessed conservation effectiveness and conservation gaps. In total, 4880 grid cells at a 20 × 20 km resolution were filled with occurrence records for NKPWPs.

Distribution, congruence, and hotspots of higher plants in China.

Identifying biodiversity hotspots has become a central issue in setting up priority protection areas, especially as financial resources for biological diversity conservation are limited. Taking China's Higher Plants Red List (CHPRL), including Bryophytes, Ferns, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms, as the data source, we analyzed the geographic patterns of species richness, endemism, and endangerment via data processing at a fine grid-scale with an average edge length of 30 km based on three aspects of richness information: species richness, endemic species richness, and threatened species richness. We sought to test the accuracy of hotspots used in identifying conservation priorities with regard to higher plants.

Early reproductive developmental anatomy in Decaisnea (Lardizabalaceae) and its systematic implications.

Background And Aims: Decaisnea insignis, known as 'dead man's fingers' (Lardizabalaceae), is widely distributed in China and the Himalayan foothill countries. This economically important plant, which is the only species in the genus, has not been the subject of any embryological studies aside from one brief, older paper that lacks micrographs. Data on Decaisnea are also important because its systematic position has been unstable since the genus was established in 1855.