Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Biology

Heterogeneous occurrence of evergreen broad-leaved forests revealed by plant fossils East Asia

August 20, 2024
in Biology
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Heterogeneous occurrence of EBLFs in East Asia during the Cenozoic
65
SHARES
595
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs) are the most characteristic biomes in East Asia. They assume a fundamental role in the biodiversity function and ecosystem services of the East Asiatic floristic kingdom. Hence, understanding the historical dynamics of EBLFs and their underlying drivers is crucial for conserving their diversity in the region.

Heterogeneous occurrence of EBLFs in East Asia during the Cenozoic

Credit: Jiagang Zhao and Shufeng Li

Evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs) are the most characteristic biomes in East Asia. They assume a fundamental role in the biodiversity function and ecosystem services of the East Asiatic floristic kingdom. Hence, understanding the historical dynamics of EBLFs and their underlying drivers is crucial for conserving their diversity in the region.

Nevertheless, the occurrence of EBLFs remains controversial across various disciplines. Several recent paleobotanical studies have indicated that EBLFs were likely established during the Middle Eocene in southestern China China and late Eocene–early Oligocene in southwestern China, potentially earlier than the molecular dating studies. Moreover, plant fossil records provide more direct and reliable evidence, with high-quality geochronology and unique taphonomy enabling a spatial-temporal exploration into the occurrence of EBLFs.

In a study published in the KeAi journal Plant Diversity, a team of researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), tapped plant fossils to explore where and where EBLFs occurred in East Asia.

“Modern EBLFs are primarily characterized by families including Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Magnoliaceae and Theaceae,” explains  Zhekun Zhou, senior and co-corresponding author the study.  This biome typically occurred under monsoon climate, with hot, moist summers and fairly cold winters. Therefor paleoclimate and paleovegetation of fossil assemblages primarily serve as important indicators to identify the occurrence of EBLFs.”

Compiling a dataset of Cenozoic palaeobotanical records from four regions (southwestern China, southern China, central-eastern China and Japan) in East Asia, the researchers reconstructed the fossil history for EBLFs’ dominant genera, calculated the paleoclimate and determined the most similar extant vegetation for each fossil assemblage.

“The results showed that most plant fossil assemblages have taken the appearance of EBLFs in East Asia during geological time. Combining the peak period of appearance for dominant genera and location of fossil sites, this inferred that occurrence of EBLFs has a different temporal-spatial pattern,” adds Zhou.

Further, the research collaborated with Prof. Paul J. Valdes and Dr. Alex Farnsworth to conduct paleoclimate simulations based on the Hadley Centre Coupled Model version3 (HadCM3) at the University of Bristol in the UK.

Through a comparison of the quantitative reconstruction and simulated outputs, they deduced that the precipitation of wettest quarter (PWetQ) exceeding 600 mm is an important factor for the occurrence of EBLFs. Combined with the latest studies on the Asian monsoon, this study suggested that the multistage evolution of Asian monsoon led to a diverse occurrence of EBLFs in East Asia.

“In contrast to the previously prevailing views, our findings highlight that the EBLFs in East Asia occurred in different temporal-spatial patterns,” Zhou concludes.

###

Contact the author: Yaowu Xing, Zhekun Zhou. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences,ywxing@xtbg.org.cn; zhouzk@xtbg.ac.cn

The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 100 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).



Journal

Plant Diversity

DOI

10.1016/j.pld.2024.07.004

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Heterogeneous occurrence of evergreen broad-leaved forests in East Asia: Evidence from plant fossils

COI Statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Share26Tweet16
Previous Post

Using low-cost videoscopes to obtain accurate video “oral selfies” as screening for hpv-associated oropharyngeal cancer: a new screening technology?

Next Post

Professor Hongbin Han’s team at Peking University makes breakthrough in brain disorder treatment with novel method to modulate molecular transportation in extracellular space

Related Posts

blank
Biology

Tidal Forces Spur the Rise of Urban Civilization in Southern Mesopotamia

August 20, 2025
blank
Biology

UCF Scientist Validates Genetic Restoration Success in Florida Panthers

August 20, 2025
blank
Biology

Researchers Engineer Cells to Develop Biological Qubits in Pioneering Multidisciplinary Breakthrough

August 20, 2025
blank
Biology

Breakthrough Discoveries in Tendinopathy Treatment: Unveiling the Active Components of Rhizoma Coptidis

August 20, 2025
blank
Biology

Engineered ‘Superfood’ Supplement Enhances Bee Colony Reproduction, Aiding Conservation Efforts

August 20, 2025
blank
Biology

Lead-Resistant Lizards in New Orleans Offer Insights into Fighting Lead Poisoning

August 20, 2025
Next Post
Schematic Representation of the Mechanism of Ischemic Stroke Treatment with m-EAI

Professor Hongbin Han’s team at Peking University makes breakthrough in brain disorder treatment with novel method to modulate molecular transportation in extracellular space

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27536 shares
    Share 11011 Tweet 6882
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    950 shares
    Share 380 Tweet 238
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    641 shares
    Share 256 Tweet 160
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    508 shares
    Share 203 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    311 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Revealing the Advantages of Nature-Inspired Construction
  • Epigenetic Noise: The Overlooked Mechanism Driving Cellular Identity Changes
  • New “In and Out” Mechanism Uncovers How Carbon Dioxide Interacts with Water’s Surface
  • Study Finds Few Depressed Teens Receive Treatment

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,859 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading