Soil resource heterogeneity promotes species richness only at a fine scale at the early restoration of karst abandoned farmland.

The relationship between heterogeneity and plant diversity remains unclear in low-resource karst. We made observations at different spatial scales within a fixed plot on abandoned farmland that had been enclosed for 4 years. Species richness was spatially scale dependent, while species evenness remained consistently low across all scales.

Tree growth rate-mediated trade-off between drought resistance and recovery in the Northern Hemisphere.

The frequency and severity of drought events have increased with climate warming. This poses a significant threat to tree growth and survival worldwide. However, the underlying mechanism of tree growth responses to drought across diverse geographic regions and species remains inconclusive.

Contrasting range changes and drivers of four forest foundation species under future climate change in China.

Forest foundation species, vital for shaping community structure and dynamics through non-trophic level interactions, are key to forest succession and sustainability. Despite their ecological importance, the habitat ranges of these species in China and their responses to future climate change remain unclear. Our study employed the optimal MaxEnt model to assess the range shifts and their essential drivers of four typical forest foundation species from three climatic zones in China under climate scenarios, including Acer tegmentosum, Acer pseudo-sieboldianum (temperate zone), Quercus glandulifera (subtropical zone), and Ficus hispida (tropical zone).

Karst fissures mitigate the negative effects of drought on plant growth and photosynthetic physiology.

Hard limestone substrates, which are extensively distributed, are believed to exacerbate drought and increase the difficulty of restoration in vulnerable karst regions. Fissures in such substrates may alleviate the negative effect of drought on plants, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In a two-way factorial block design, the growth and photosynthesis of 2-year-old Phoebe zhennan seedlings were investigated in two water availabilities (high versus low) and three stimulated fissure habitat groups (soil, soil-filled fissure and non-soil-filled fissure).

Assessing the suitability and dynamics of three medicinal species in China under current and future climate scenarios.

Climate change exerts profound influences on the ecological environments on a global scale, leading to habitat destruction and altering distribution patterns for numerous plant species. Traditional Chinese medicinal plants, such as those belonging to the genus, have been extensively utilized for several centuries to treat fractures, rheumatism, and inflammation. However, our understanding of their geographic distribution and climatic adaptation within China still needs to be improved.

New forest biomass carbon stock estimates in Northeast Asia based on multisource data.

Forests play an important role in both regional and global C cycles. However, the spatial patterns of biomass C density and underlying factors in Northeast Asia remain unclear. Here, we characterized spatial patterns and important drivers of biomass C density for Northeast Asia, based on multisource data from in situ forest inventories, as well as remote sensing, bioclimatic, topographic, and human footprint data.