News
-
2026-07-22A novel mechanism by which mixed-species afforestation enhances the multifunctionality of degraded tropical soilsAfforestation greatly improves soil multifunctionality likely by more diverse and functionally active soil microbial communities. The diversity of SOC molecules plays a key role in linking microbial attributes with soil multifunctionality under tropical afforestation. Afforestation is a key strategy for restoring degraded ecosystems and mitigating climate change. However, previous assessments have focused on vegetation recovery or individual soil functions, leaving a gap in understanding how different afforestation models jointly influence nutrient supply, enzyme activity, and microbial metabolism—collective...Read More -
-
2026-07-15New findings on adaptive strategies of sympatric oaks along climate gradients in ChinaThis study unravels divergent and convergent responses of two sympatric oaks via traits integration and adaptive strategies to climate change. Their distinct trait plasticity and phenotypic integration under unfavorable climate might lead to niche differentiation and complex community assembly. Exploring the coexistence mechanisms of sympatric closely related species along climate gradients is crucial to predicting shifts in species distribution and community assembly. Previous studies mainly focus on the differentiation of specific functional traits, but scarcely explore the trait variability and their coordination with plant trait ne...Read More -
2026-07-10Haven or Trap? Study Finds Sinkholes Protect Endangered Tree at Evolutionary CostKarst tiankengs in southwest China act as microrefugia that help the endangered tree Magnolia aromatica persist by providing cool, humid, and deeply shaded habitats. However, their enclosed geography also restricts gene flow, promotes genetic drift and deleterious mutation accumulation, and may reduce the species’ long-term capacity to adapt to... Are giant sinkholes in China’s karst mountains havens or traps for the rare plants that inhabit them? A new study finds they are both—offering refuge from heat and drought while gradually eroding the evolutionary potential of an endangered tree.In a study published in Current Biology on July 14, researchers from the South China Botanical Garde...Read More -
2026-07-06The 27th Conference of the China Biosphere Reserve Network (CBRN) Members and 70th Anniversary Conference of the Establishment of Dinghushan National Reserve Held in Zhaoqingthe 27th Conference of the China Biosphere Reserve Network (CBRN) Members and the 70th Anniversary Conference of the Establishment of Dinghushan National Nature Reserve were grandly held in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province. The conferences were hosted by the Chinese National Committee for Man and the Biosphere Programme (Chinese MAB) and co-org... From June 30 to July 2, 2026, the 27th Conference of the China Biosphere Reserve Network (CBRN) Members and the 70th Anniversary Conference of the Establishment of Dinghushan National Nature Reserve were grandly held in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province. The conferences were hosted by the Chinese National Committee for Man and the Biosphere Prog...Read More -
2026-07-03Sciences reveals the important role of intraspecific trait variation in forest response to nitrogen depositionAn eight-year nitrogen addition experiment was conducted in a South China evergreen broad-leaved forest to analyze interspecific and intraspecific trait variation in understory plants and its connection to biomass. Nitrogen treatment hardly affected traits of the high understory, yet altered leaf growth and defense traits with strong intraspecif... The continuous increase in atmospheric nitrogen deposition caused by global fossil fuel combustion and fertilizer use has profoundly affected the structure and function of forest ecosystems. Previous studies have mostly focused on trait changes at the species level, and there is still a lack of in-depth understanding of how functional traits at ...Read More -
2026-07-03Microbial Control Over Blue Carbon During Mangrove RestorationRestoration relieves microbial carbon limitation, while persistent phosphorus limitation may continue to constrain blue carbon formation. A research team from the South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has identified microbial carbon limitation as an important regulator of blue carbon outcomes during mangrove restoration. The study shows that restoration not only increases soil organic carbon (SOC), but also changes the source composition and potential biochemi...Read More -
2026-06-28Reveal Global Seasonality and Climate Controls of Air PollutionChinese Scientists characterized the seasonal patterns, spatial regimes and recent directional trends of global atmospheric pollution by integrating satellite observations with meteorological reanalysis. A research team led by Professor Faming Wang at the South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has characterized the seasonal patterns, spatial regimes and recent directional trends of global atmospheric pollution by integrating satellite observations with meteorological reanalysis.The study, entitled “Characterizing global air ...Read More