Evolution of East Asian subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forests: When and how?

作者：Hong‐Hu Meng, Yi‐Gang Song, Guo‐Xiong Hu, Pei‐Han Huang, Min Li, Ou‐Yan Fang, Rina Su, Guan‐Long Cao, Xiang Cai, Shi‐Shun Zhou, Yun‐Hong Tan, Xiaoguo Xiang, Wei Wang, Zhe‐Kun Zhou, Jie Li · 发表于：Journal of Systematics and Evolution · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1111/jse.70001 · 被引用次数：24 · 研究领域：Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies、Plant and Fungal Species Descriptions、Plant and animal studies

Abstract Understanding how East Asian subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forests (EBLFs) have evolved over time is not only vital for biodiversity conservation but also facilitates predictive modeling of ecosystem services under global change scenarios. During recent decades, numerous studies have been devoted to investigating the evolution of EBLFs. However, there are often contradictory interpretations of the different taxa associated with different geological events and environmental backgrounds. Here, we synthesize several key aspects of the spatiotemporal evolution of EBLFs. First, the EBLFs emerged concomitantly with the development of Asian monsoon systems, occurring no earlier than the Eocene. While the southernmost region was inhabited by tropical elements, EBLFs are not the direct relic of boreotropical flora because of the presence of a broad arid belt at that time. Rather, they represent a unique assemblage including boreotropical relics, tropical floras and deciduous broad‐leaved forests. Second, the evolution of EBLFs should not be contextualized within an enclave, the adjacent vegetation systems to elucidate the potential connections between EBLFs and other biomes should be considered to avoid an isolated phenomenon. Third, the adaptive response of EBLFs to environmental changes caused by anthropogenic disturbance in subtropical regions remains understudied. Such a knowledge gap must be addressed to develop effective conservation strategies to sustain the ecosy...