Aims: Global plant diversity has experienced a sharp decline, primarily due to human activities and climate change, posing a significant threat to human existence and development. In this context, botanical gardens have played an important role in the research and protection of plant diversity. In the mainland of China, the development of a national botanical garden system is underway, with the purpose of strengthening the comprehensive collection, complete protection, and in-depth research of wild plants, and promoting sustainable use. Our aim here is to offer suggestions for the advancement of the botanical garden system in the mainland of China, based on an understanding of the general state of botanical gardens, with the goal of more effectively conserving plant diversity. Method: We collected and analyzed comprehensive data from 170 botanical gardens in the mainland of China, including the year of establishment, affiliations, staff structure, and their performance in conservation, research, education, horticulture, and amenities. Gardens were categorized into levels A to D based on their performance and were compared among levels and affiliations. Results: We found that 90% of botanical gardens in the mainland of China are government-sponsored public welfare institutions. Botanical gardens affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences have outstanding capacity in scientific research, while those managed by government departments have made significant contributions to conservation, horticulture, education, and recreation, but lag in research ability. Furthermore, the absence of robust collaborative efforts among gardens was identified, which undermines the collective impact. Conclusion: We advocate for the construction of a system comprising "national botanical gardens - regional botanical gardens - local botanical gardens," to carry out cooperative plant diversity research and conservation efforts that encompass China's native flora and extend globally. We also recommend the creation of an integrated information facility for plant conservation that leverages digitalization and standardization to enhance coordination and collaborative efforts. Additionally, we endorse accreditation of botanic gardens and innovation of management paradigms to bolster sustainability. These recommendations may help protect plant diversity and promote sustainable development.

Aims: In order to support conservation efforts for the endangered Jiangxi giant salamander, we conducted a comprehensive long-term field monitoring project to assess population dynamics, species distribution, and potential threats to the species. The findings from this study will serve as crucial guidance for the development and implementation of conservation initiatives for this endangered species.

Methods: In this study we established long-term monitoring of both population ecology and habitat of the wild population of the Jiangxi giant salamander (Andrias jiangxiensis) in the Jinjia tributary of the Beiliao River between 2021 to 2023. The population status was evaluated using the mark-and-recapture method which allowed us to gather essential data on population characteristics, life history, habitat condition.

Results: A total of 628 adult and juvenile Jiangxi giant salamanders were successfully captured. Among them, 543 were tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, and 230 were recaptured at least once. Using the Schnabel model for estimating population size from mark-and-recapture, the population size was estimated to be 474 individuals (95% CI: 427–534). The calculated population density was 79 individuals/km (95% CI: 71–89) or 1.31 individuals/100 m² (95% CI: 1.19–1.48). An analysis of population structure indicated that few individuals had a body size smaller than 30 cm or larger than 70 cm. During the three consecutive years of 2021 to 2023, a total of 738 larvae were observed between January and March, a time of the year when the newly hatched larvae swim out of their breeding cave and begin to forage. In contrast, only 12 larvae were seen across the whole habitat range between April and December, with an extremely low catch per unit effort (CPUE) (0.38 individuals/person·hour). Our observations indicate that larvae of the Jiangxi giant salamander face challenges from both predators and environmental factors, leading to a low survival rate in their natural habitat. Habitat assessments have revealed significant threats to the isolated population of this species, including environmental fluctuations such as floods and perturbations of water flow, which pose a risk to their survival.

Conclusion: This study recommends the evaluation of the Jiangxi giant salamander as Critically Endangered (CR) and a National Class I Protected species. Consequently, we urge the implementation of specific conservation actions.

Aim: National parks prioritize the conservation of their unique and representative vegetation ecosystems. Monitoring these ecosystems is crucial for evaluating conservation effectiveness and formulating sustainable management strategies. This study utilized remote sensing data to characterize canopy characteristics in Qianjiangyuan National Park. ­­By establishing direct links between canopy features and disturbance regimes, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of forest biodiversity protection.

Method: We analyzed airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and hyperspectral data for 21,820 100 m × 100 m pixels and naturalness survey data for 6,977 subcompartments within Qianjiangyuan National Park. The Three-dimensional canopy structural characteristics were derived from airborne LiDAR data, while vegetation indices were calculated from hyperspectral data. These canopy characteristics were then correlated with the naturalness of forest subcompartments to assess differences across various naturalness levels.

Results: Our findings revealed that: (1) Canopy characteristics within Qianjiangyuan National Park exhibited a wide range of variability, with considerable differences across regions of the park. (2) Canopy structural and spectral characteristics varied significantly (P < 0.01) between areas with varying degrees of anthropogenic disturbance, reflecting the success of conservation efforts. Specifically, heavily disturbed secondary and plantation forests exhibited the lowest canopy height, leaf area index, vertical structural complexity, and light resource utilization efficiency, with a higher proportion of shorter and sparser vegetation, increased stress levels, and higher leaf senescence. In contrast, moderately disturbed secondary deciduous broadleaved forests and lightly or undisturbed old-growth evergreen broadleaved forests demonstrated elevated canopy heights, leaf area index, and vertical structural complexity. However, old-growth forests experienced lower stress levels, higher light use efficiency, and reduced leaf senescence compared to moderately disturbed forests.

Conclusion: The canopy characteristics in Qianjiangyuan National Park vary widely depending on the level of anthropogenic disturbance, with such disturbances negatively impacting canopy attributes. Our findings indicate that airborne LiDAR and hyperspectral imaging are effective in quantifying the three-dimensional structure and spectral attributes of the canopy, offering valuable insights into conservation effectiveness. Our study serves as a scientific foundation for the protection and management of subtropical forests within Qianjiangyuan National Park. Furthermore, it highlights the potential of airborne remote sensing technologies in monitoring changes in canopy characteristics to evaluate conservation efficacy, thereby supporting the development of informed conservation strategies and sustainable management practices.

Aims: Oyster reefs provide crucial ecosystem services, but are being seriously degraded globally. Natural oyster resources in the Yellow River Estuary have been severely damaged in recent years due to overfishing and other threat factors. We investigate existing natural oyster resources and the diversity, community structure, and abundance of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macrobenthos in the typical oyster distribution area of the Yellow River Estuary. Our research provides a better understanding of species composition, growth characteristics, environmental conditions of different distribution areas, and the ecological functions of oyster reefs. These findings will help develop scientific strategies for oyster reef restoration and conservation. 

Methods: The natural oyster resources investigated include Hekou District of Dongying City (HK), Zhanhua District of Binzhou City (ZH) and Wudi County (WD), in the west of the Yellow River Estuary and Kenli District of Dongying City (KL1, KL2) in the south of the Yellow River Estuary. We consider the species composition of oyster based on 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. We employ one-way ANOVA to analyze species diversity indices across different reef and reef-free areas. The species abundance biomass comparison curve (ABC curve) is used to reveal the disturbance status of macrobenthos community in the Yellow River Estuary. 

Results: In the five study areas around the Yellow River Estuary, oysters in KL1 and KL2 are dominantly juveniles with mean shell height 6.16 ± 1.63 mm and 4.70 ± 6.86 mm, respectively. Oysters in WD are mostly adult (mean shell height 45.69 ± 22.41 mm). The largest oyster population is found in HK (mean shell height 19.68 ± 13.64 mm). We collected a total of 147 oyster specimens from the Yellow River estuary. From KL1, a total of 13 specimens with 11 identified as Crassostrea gigas and 2 Crassostrea ariakensis. Among the 39 oyster specimens from KL2, there are 4 species including 19 of C. gigas, 6 of C. ariakensis, 8 of Crassostrea talonata, and 6 of Nanostrea fluctigera. There are 8 oyster specimens from WD including 4 of C. gigas and 4 of C. ariakensis. All 87 oyster specimens from HK are identified as C. gigas. A total of 36 species are identified as belonging to 3 phyla of phytoplankton with the dominant species belonging to bacillariophyta. There are a total of 21 species belonging to 4 phyla of zooplankton. The dominant species in the reef area is jellyfish, while the dominant species in the reef-free area is Noctiluca scintillans. A total of 84 species are identified as belonging to 5 phyla of macrobenthos. The dominant species in the reef areas is crustaceans and polychaetes, while in the reef-free area mollusks and ostracods. The dominant species of crustaceans in reef areas is significantly higher than in reef-free areas (P < 0.05). The abundance curves of both reef and reef-free areas are above the biomass curves, and the statistical W value of reef area (–0.144) is higher than of the reef-free area (–0.207). 

Conclusion: Oyster reefs in various areas of the Yellow River Estuary are differ in oyster species composition, numbers of adult, and larval recruitments. The overall resource quantity is relatively low in the Yellow River Estuary when compared with other regions. The macrobenthos community structure of the Yellow River Estuary is significantly affected by environmental and human activities, but those in the reef area are less disturbed than in the reef-free area. Our results indicate oyster reefs reduce the disturbance degree to macrobenthos and play a role in maintaining the stability of biological community structure. Therefore, we suggest strengthening publicity and education is necessary to reduce human damage and interference to oyster reefs. Further, public education will be helpful in scientific restoration according to the current characteristics of oysters in different regions and improving the ecological environment of the Yellow River estuary through habitat function reconstruction.

Aims: Under the influence of global climate change and human activities, plant living environment, their living conditions, and even entire vegetation ecosystem are undergoing dynamic changes. Field investigation and monitoring of plants from the foundation for the scientific community and relevant administrative departments to assess the condition of regional plant populations, speculate their development trends, and develop appropriate conservation strategies. However, field plant surveys have long relied on expert identification, requiring significant human, material and financial resources, and finding suitable experts is often challenging. Intelligent identification has been shown to achieve accurate, species-level identification of plants, offering great potential to improve the efficiency of field surveys while reducing the workload of experts.

Methods: In this study, we focused on the eastern part of Eurasia grasslands in Inner Mongolia as an example and employed unmanned aerial vehicle (USVs) along with image recognition technology to develop a grassland plant image recognition model. Pre-experiments conducted in Hulunbeier revealed that images taken by drones at a vertical angle of 90° yielded the highest number of identifiable species for model construction. Based on the drone-captured plant images from Hulunbeier, Xilinhot and Erdos, we used an SSD-MobileNetV2-FPN architecture to train a drone-based plant object detection model. This model detected and extracted plant detection model. Further image recognition training using the MobileNetV3 architecture allowed us to construct an intelligent recognition model capable of identifying 70 common grassland plant species belonging to 54 genera across 22 families.

Results: Using the reserved 10,734 images of 70 species for evaluation, the model correctly identified 9,513 images, achieving a TOP1 recognition accuracy of 88.6%. When combined with UAV-based image acquisition, this model can survey approximately 300 1m*1m quadrats in 80 minutes, significantly improving the efficiency of plant field investigation.

Conclusion: This study provides a new tool for intelligent surveys and long-term site-based monitoring of grassland plant diversity and ecosystems. It reduces the dependence on experts for plant identification, providing a practical tool for biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring at the grassroots level. Additionally, this model offers a template for similar efforts in other regions and vegetation types.

Storage beetles refer to coleopterans that are directly or indirectly related to stored products and have significant implications for human life. Historical factors, including the use of multiple classification systems across different periods and confusion surrounding Latin-English-Chinese names, have resulted in information mismatches globally, leading to the incorrect application of control techniques and unnecessary economic losses. The higher-level classification of 432 storage beetles was primarily based on the authoritative Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Handbook of Zoology, Zoological Record, and the current internationally accepted Coleoptera classification system. A comprehensive catalogue of important storage beetles, including their naming history and original literature, was compiled for the first time, supplemented by their English names and former Chinese names (if applicable). This study clarifies the taxonomic status, Latin-English-Chinese names, and original literature references for 432 storage beetles, encompassing 12 superfamilies and 32 families of Coleoptera. The taxonomic status of 41% families has changed. A total of 283 pieces of original literature related to species names were reviewed. Additionally, the Latin names of 45 species were revised compared to previous common names due to 3 homonyms, 23 synonyms, 18 combinations, and 1 upgradation. This study contributes to the standardized use storage beetle names and provides scientific support for related applications in industry sectors.

Background & Aim: Domestic animals and wild relatives are important biological resources, which are crucial to the breeding of new breeds, germplasm innovation and wildlife protection. China has abundant and unique domestic breeds, and it is also one of the distribution of many wild relatives and the origin centers of domestic animal domestication. The confusion in the usage of Chinese and Latin names of domestic animals and wild relatives hinders the accurate identification of biological resources, affects the effective scientific research communication and science popularization, and easily causes the loss of important biological resources.

Methods: This paper searched through domestic and international relevant literature and websites, to investigate the research progress on the origin and history of domestication of domestic animals and the sources and use of names of domestic animals and their wild relatives in Chinese, English and Latin. Official documents such as the List of State Key Protected Wild Animals (2021), threatened species listed on China’s Red List (2021), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (2023) and other official documents were used.

Conclusion & Suggestions: This research leads to four principles: (1) The Latin names of domestic animals and wild relatives should fully consider their origin and domestication history. (2) The Chinese names of domestic animals and wild relatives should conform to the rules of taxonomy, and it is recommended to use the names of official documents or related monographs. (3) The Latin name of the offspring produced by the hybridization of species should be expressed by the Latin scientific name of the parent, and the order of the Latin name should be distinguished from the orthogonal or inverse cross. (4) International conventions, national laws and regulations, scientific reports and other official documents shall used first according to the context.

Aims: The Kansu Corridor serves as a critical ecological protection area in northwest China. This study aims to investigate the fish diversity and resource status of the interior drainage systems within this region. 

Methods: Between April 2019 to October 2023, eight fishery resource surveys were conducted at 25 sampling sites across inland river basin of the Kansu Corridor. The relative importance index (IRI) was used to determine the dominant species of the population. Fish diversity was analyzed using the Margalef species richness index, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpson dominance index and Pielou evenness index. The similarity matrix constructed based on Bray-Curtis similarity coefficient was used to cluster and sort the distribution characteristics of fish using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and redundancy analysis (RDA) was employed to examine the gradient relationships between fish community composition and environmental factor using Canoco 5.0 software. 

Results: A total of 9,743 fish belonging to 4 orders, 8 families, 20 genera and 29 species were identified. Among them, 12 species were indigenous, including Gymnocypris chilienensis and Schizopygopsis pylzovi, which are under Gansu Provincial protection. Schizopygopsis huanghe was identified as a new recorded species in the interior drainage of Kansu Corridor, and 5 species, including Triplophysa yarkandensis and Silurus soldatovi, are classified a vulnerable or near-threatened under the Red List of Biodiversity of China. The fish populations were predominantly composed of small-sized species, with Gymnocypris chilienensis, Triplophysa hsutschouensis and Carassius cuvieri as the dominant species. Notable differences in dominant species were observed across different river systems and temporal intervals. The fish diversity in the inland river system of Kansu Corridor was generally low across the inland rivers. The Margalef species richness index was the highest in summer (2.215). While the Simpson dominance index peaked in autumn at the 0.715. Both Shannon-Wiener diversity index (1.463) and Pielou evenness index (0.716) reached their maxima in spring. Among the rivers, the Heihe River exhibited the highest species richness index of Margalef (2.767 ± 1.455) and Shannon-Wiener diversity index (1.549 ± 0.432), whereas the Shulehe River recorded the highest Simpson dominance index (0.755 ± 0.060) and Pielou evenness index (0.807 ± 0.095), respectively. The NMDS analysis revealed significant differences in fish species composition between the upper and middle-to-lower reaches of rivers. Redundancy analysis indicated that total phosphorus was primary environmental factor influencing fish community structure. 

Conclusion: Compared with the survey data from the 1980s, the distribution areas of Gymnocypris chilienensis and Triplophysa yarkandensis have been reduced, while the distribution areas of other Triplophysa species have remained relatively stable. Key factors affecting fish diversity and distribution in the region include water resource scarcity, invasive spices, and water conservancy projects.

Aims: As the frame-work organisms of coral-reef eco-systems, species community structure of reef-building corals play a major role in biodiversity. The Tropic of Cancer is the northernmost distribution line of reef-building corals along the coast of China. However, there are relatively few studies on reef-building corals in high-latitude regions, and information on species diversity and community distribution characteristics in these areas remains unclear. 

Methods: The National Nature Reserve of Guangdong Nanpeng Islands (hereinafter referred to as Nanpeng Islands Reserve) is one of the northernmost reserves in China with records of the distribution of reef-building corals. We use SCUBA diving and video survey from June 2023 and June 2024 to reveal the species diversity and distribution characteristics of reef-building corals in the reserve. 

Results: Our results show 34 species of reef-building corals are distributed in the National Nature Reserve of Guangdong Nanpeng Islands, belonging to 19 genera and 9 families. Most of these are encrusting with Psammocora nierstraszi and P. profundacella occupying dominance. Reef-building corals exhibit typical high-latitude patchy community distribution characteristics, with non-reef-forming and low coverage within the protected area. Dingpeng Island has the highest average coral coverage among the islands, followed by Nanpeng and Zhongpeng Islands, with Qinpeng Island having the lowest coverage. 

Conclusions: We investigate the species diversity and distribution characteristics of reef-building corals in the National Nature Reserve of Guangdong Nanpeng Islands. Our findings contribute to the scientific understanding of the current status of reef-building coral communities in Nanpeng Islands Marine ecology National Nature Reserve. Additionally, we provide much needed data for the protection and research of coral communities in the northern margin of the South China Sea.

Aims: Lawns in airport environments play an important role in visual navigation, noise reduction, and soil erosion prevention. However, they can also provide shelter and foraging opportunities for birds, thereby increasing the risk of bird strikes. Selecting appropriate turf species is essential for effective bird strike prevention. This study aims to evaluate the effects of Buchloe dactyloides (buffalo grass) lawns on invertebrate diversity and abundance, exploring its potential to reduce bird foraging opportunities and lower bird strike risks. 

Methods: From April to October 2023, we surveyed invertebrate diversity on six lawns at Beijing Capital International Airport (three weedy lawns and three buffalo grass lawns) using sweep metting and trapping methods. Specimens were identified to species level using taxonomic monographs. T-tests were performed to assess the significance of differences in individual counts, family-level diversity, and species-level diversity between the two lawn types. The α diversity was evaluated using the Simpson dominance index, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Pielou evenness index, and Margalef richness index. The Bray-Curtis distance was applied to assess invertebrate community similarity across different months and lawns types. 

Results: A total of 4,395 invertebrates were collected, belonging to two phyla, six classes, 15 orders, 75 families, 102 genera, and 146 species. Among them, Diptera (flies) and Hemiptera (true bugs) exhibited the highest species richness and individual abundance, respectively. The shared dominant species between both lawn types included Geocoris pallidipennis, Psammotettix alienus, Nysius sp.1, and Trigonotylus caelestialium. In buffalo grass lawns, species diversity peaked in August, with two peaks in individual numbers observed in May and August. In weedy lawns, species diversity peaked in June and August, while individual abundance was highest in June. Although weedy lawns exhibited generally higher species diversity, individual abundance, and Margalef richness index compared to buffalo grass lawns, the differences were not statistically significant. This may be due to the sampling sites and the clustered distribution of collected samples. The Bray-Curtis similarity analysis showed that species composition similarity across all month-lawn combinations ranged from moderate to extreme dissimilarity. UPGMA clustering, based on Bray-Curtis distances, grouped samples from April to July into one cluster and samples from August to October into another. However, there was no clear grouping based on lawn type, indicating that temporal variation had a greater influence on community composition that lawn type. 

Conclusion: This study suggests that buffalo grass lawns in airport environments may help reduce invertebrate abundance, thereby potentially decreasing bird foraging opportunities. However, due to limited sampling sites and range, the results were not statistically significant. Future studies should expand the sampling area and increase replicates to obtain more reliable results. Long-term monitoring and multi-year studies at airports in different regions would further clarify the effect of buffalo grass on invertebrate control, providing scientific evidence for bird strike prevention strategies.

Aims: Xiangshan Bay is a significant fishery area in Zhejiang Province, characterized by abundant marine biodiversity. While previous studies have listed crabs (Decapoda: Branchyura) from this area, their findings often remain inconclusive, as they primarily focus on variation in macrobenthic and fishery community structure or responses to human activities. However, there is limited understanding of the species diversity and diagnostic characteristic of some rare crab species in Xiangshan Bay. Based on an extensive, long-period survey, this study provides a comprehensive and scientific checklist of crabs from Xiangshan Bay. 

Methods: The study involved investigations at 40 subtidal and 10 intertidal stations, covering almost the entire Xiangshan Bay. Of these stations, 10 subtidal and 3 intertidal stations focusing on macrobenthos were surveyed in May and November (2018–2021 and 2023). Additionally, surveys targeting macrobenthos and fishery resources were conducted in November (2022–2023) and February, May and August (2023–2024). All crabs were separated from specimens and identified using the latest taxonomic literature. 

Results: A total of 64 crab species, classified into 47 genera and 22 families were identified. Among these, seven species were previously undocumented in Zhejiang Province: Ser mikawaensis, Rhizopa gracilipes, Shenius anomalus, Paradromia japonica, Benthopanope eucratoides, Trissoplax dentate and Venitus latreillii, and S. mikawaensis a new record for Chinese waters, while R. gracilipes and S. anomalus are new records species for the East China sea. The diagnostic characteristics of these newly recorded species were described and illustrated. 

Conclusion: This study reports significantly more crab species in Xiangshan Bay compared to previous research. It provides the first systematic checklist of crabs in the region, alongside detailed decruptions of the newly recorded species. This findings offer valuable reference material for conserving crab diversity and improving the taxonomic identification of crabs in Xiangshan Bay.

Background: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. It achieves this by subjecting, and if necessary, suspending, international trade in listed species to certain controls and regulations. The effective implementation of the Convention relies on the coordination and consistency of countries worldwide in terms of terminology comprehension, law enforcement, data collection and statistics, and policy formulation. Due to legacy issues at the time of CITES’s signing, United Nations’ languages such as Chinese, Russian and Arabic are not working languages of CITES. Although CITES has been in effect in China for over forty years, and Chinese CITES authorities have translated the Convention text and other valid documents into Chinese for circulation, participation in the formulation and enforcement of regulations for international trade in wild fauna and flora is subject to the understanding of translations and definitions of CITES terminology in English. Terminology is the core concept in the formulation and implementation of policies and regulations, and it is also the foundation of rules. As a highly technical and operational international agreement, CITES has a comprehensive implementation system with a complex and intertwined set of rules. Investigating the translation and characteristics of terminology can provide an entry point for understanding the establishment and evolution of CITES regulations. 

Main Content: This article traces the linguistic regulations at the time of CITES' signing, lists important terms related to the conservation of endangered wild animals and plants and their translations in the CITES text and valid documents, categorizes the CITES terms according to their nature and application scenarios. The definitions and explanations of CITES terms can be divided into definitional, explanatory, and quotational according to their nature; and into scientific and definitional terms, regulatory and procedural terms, and cooperative and compliance terms according to their application scenarios. By using an online Large Language Model Moonshot AI, 14 terms with the most special English explanations and the greatest differences from common understanding were extracted from the 150 terms of the CITES glossary, and a comparison was made. 

Conclusion: The results indicate that the CITES terminology is primarily formulated around the Convention text, exhibiting distinctive characteristics limited to the regulatory objectives of international trade in wild fauna and flora. Many terms differ from common-sense understandings in daily life; typically, the Convention's term explanations are more detailed, specific, and operationally robust. In the process of implementing the Convention's requirements daily by each Party, a lack of in-depth understanding and accurate use of terms or the meaning of the Convention can not only hinder normal implementation but also lead to errors and confusion in execution. It may even trigger or activate the Convention's review and disposal mechanisms. 

Mastery of the categories and characteristics of CITES terminology aids in understanding the establishment background, rule evolution, and operational execution of this so-called "Convention with teeth," which includes compliance and enforcement measures such as "prohibition of trade." Only through integrated understanding can effective fulfillment of the Convention be ensured, regulation of international trade in wild fauna and flora be executed, and global biodiversity governance be advanced. The characteristics and interpretations of CITES terminology also provide insights and references for the formulation of China's wildlife protection and management laws and regulations, as well as the drafting of related standards.

Aims: The negative impacts of light pollution, resulting from excessive artificial light at night (ALAN), on many organisms and ecological processes, have garnered significant attention. However, the impact of ALAN on the frequency of invasive alien plants and its effects on plant community composition and growth performance of invasive alien and native species remain poorly understood. 

Methods: We carried out a field investigation in Changchun city to compare areas with and without ALAN exposure, focusing on the frequency of invasive alien plants, the composition, and biodiversity of invasive alien and native plant communities, as well as the plant height and relative coverage of invasive alien and native plants. 

Results: We found that: (1) ALAN did not significantly influence the frequency of invasive alien plants; (2) While ALAN did not significantly affect the diversity of invasive alien and native plant communities, it significantly increased the richness of invasive alien plants; (3) ALAN significantly enhanced the height and relative cover of invasive alien plants and decreased the relative cover of native plants, but had no significant effect on native plant height. 

Conclusions: These results suggest that ALAN may further bolster the competitive advantage of invasive alien plants and increase their invasion risk. Therefore, future management strategies for plant invasion should incorporate ALAN as a potential contributing factor.

Aims: The color change of flowers during their blooming process can serve as a cue that guides pollinators to preferentially visit pre-change color flowers. However, it remains unclear whether this color change influences nectar robbers’ behavior.

Methods: To explore whether nectar robbers prefer pre-change color flowers and the impact of nectar robbing on plant reproductive success, we used Lonicera calcarata (Caprifoliaceae) as the study subject. Its flowering period lasts for three days, during which the flower color changes from white to yellow and then to orange-red. We recorded the visitation behavior of flower-visiting insects in the field and calculated the frequencies of legitimate visits and nectar robbing. We also analyzed the nectar robbing rates of three flower colors in different populations, measured the morphological traits of normal and robbed flowers, assessed the nectar volume and sugar concentration in both normal and robbed flowers during blooming, and examined the total pollen and ovule counts in flower buds from normal and robbed flowers. Finally, we performed different artificial pollination treatments to calculate seed set.

Results: Flower visitors to L. calcarata included moths, butterflies, and bumblebees, among which bumblebees could both legitimately visit the flowers and rob nectar from flowers of different colors. The overall nectar robbing frequency was higher than the frequency of legitimate visits for bumblebees. Nectar robbing rates of L. calcarata varied across different populations, with the nectar robbing rate of orange-red and yellow flowers being significantly higher than that of white flowers. The floral traits of robbed flowers were smaller than normal flowers in general, especially the lip and anther size. The holes in nectar spurs of orange-red and yellow flowers were significantly larger than those in white flowers. In all the three phases, nectar robbing significantly reduced the nectar volume of one flower, but did not affect the nectar sugar concentration. There were no significant differences in the total number of pollen grains in the buds between robbed and normal flower, as well as the ovules. Seed sets of pollen grains from normal and robbed flowers pollinated on the stigmas of normal flowers were not significantly different. Likewise, the seed sets of pollen from normal flowers pollinated on the stigma of normal and robbed flowers showed no significant differences.

Conclusion: This study preliminarily indicates that nectar robbing bees, particularly bumblebees, do not preferentially visit pre-change color flowers. Nectar robbing reduces nectar secretion and it does not directly affect the plant's female and male fitness. The influence of flower color change on flower-visiting insect behavior requires further and more sustained investigation.

Background: Higher plant diversity is known to promote ecosystem functions, with the positive relationship typically attributed to plant-plant interactions. However, a growing body of literature has revealed the crucial role of soil microorganisms in regulating the relationships between plant diversity and ecosystem functions. 

Progresses: This review first summarizes how plant diversity affects soil microbes and how soil microbes, in turn, influence ecosystem functions. It then focuses on the specific soil microbial functional groups and summarizes the research progress on how they mediate the relationships between plant diversity and productivity. Taken together, soil microorganisms may indirectly affect ecosystem functions by responding to changes in plant diversity, or they may also directly mediate the interactions between plant diversity and ecosystem functions. 

Perspectives: Future studies should prioritize the pathways through which soil microbes regulate the relationships between plant diversity and ecosystem functions, as well as quantify the relative contribution of soil microbes and environmental factors to these relationships. This will provide new insights into understanding the impacts of biodiversity loss in the context of global climate change.

Aims: Guangdong is one of the provinces with the high chiropteran diversity in China and often serve as one of hot spots in Chiroptera researches. To comprehensively understand the current diversity resources of Chiroptera in Guangdong Province, and to provide basic data for future biodiversity research and conservation practices, the timely updating of species checklists and the availability and accuracy of molecular barcode databases, even those based on local species specimens, are necessary. 

Methods: This study is based on our long-term survey results over 30-years effort, combined with a summary of historical records and literature on Guangdong, we aim to update the chiropteran species checklist for the province. Additionally, we will selectively utilize our specimen resources that collected by our research team over 30-years to specifically construct their molecular barcode database via molecular barcoding technology. We provide primers and PCR systems for molecular barcoding technology that cover the known species of Chiroptera, facilitating future use by researchers. 

Results: As of July 2024, Guangdong Province has recorded 61 species of Chiroptera across 8 families and 24 genera, making its species diversity second only to Yunnan Province, which has 82 species across 8 families and 31 genera. Its diversity accounts for 43.2% of the bats in China. Among these, the family Vespertilionidae has the highest diversity with 37 species, while the genus Myotis is the most diverse genus with 11 species. We compiled 11 pairs of universal primers for the Cytb gene and 9 pairs for the COI gene. Based on molecular sequence data primarily obtained from samples that historically collected in this province, we have established a reference barbcoding database for the 61 Chiroptera species in Guangdong Province. 

Conclusions: This study not only revises and updates the chiropteran species checklist in Guangdong Province, but also establishes the molecular barcoding database. It could provides accurate and convenient basic data for the molecular identification of Chiroptera species in the province and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. We hope this will benefit future biodiversity research and conservation practice.

Background: Ecologists have long been interested by the geographical distribution patterns of biodiversity and the underlying mechanisms. The evolutionary speed hypothesis (ESH) is one of the mainstream explanations for the latitudinal biodiversity gradient pattern. This hypothesis suggests that the higher temperatures in low-latitude regions accelerate speciation rates and thus increase the species richness through three mechanisms. Specifically, (1) high temperatures shorten generation times, thereby increase the effective evolutionary time (the number of effective generations per unit of absolute time); (2) high temperatures increase mutation rates and thus genetic variations — the raw material for natural selection; (3) high temperatures accelerate the process of natural selection. Though this hypothesis is widely debated based on observed data from nature, rigorous tests are rare. 

Progress: The experimental evolution approach has been recently adopted to test specific mechanisms for ESH; and those studies were performed under well-controlled environmental temperatures. This article presents a comprehensive review of these studies about the consequences of temperature for mutation rates, selection and adaptive diversification. The generality of conclusions from those studies needs to be tested in more complex systems. 

Prospects: The experimental evolution approach will further deepen our understanding of the evolutionary speed hypothesis and the mechanisms underlying the geographical patterns of biodiversity, and give insights for species conservation and disease control under climate warming.