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Forests
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Pattern and Evolution of Biodiversity in Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forests
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Pattern and Evolution of Biodiversity in Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forests

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Biodiversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2025 | Viewed by 2048

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zehao Shen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: biodiversity and biogeography; wildfire/geography; forest trees
Prof. Dr. Wei Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Interests: plant systematics and biogeography; diversity; plant taxonomy
Prof. Dr. Jian Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Interests: biodiversity; biogeography; ecoinformatics; big data ecology; conservation ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Evergreen broadleaved forest (EBF) is the most widely distributed forest type in eastern Asia, with its prominent subtropic monsoon climate, and it harbors a unique and rich biodiversity, which is jointly shaped by a long history of biological evolution, the stable presence of a large land mass, and the strong interactions between the largest continent (Eurasia) and the broadest ocean (the Pacific), intensified by the highest plateau (Tibet). However, in the face of intensifying anthropogenic climate change and human activities, the biodiversity of EBFs is facing serious threats of fragmentation and habitat degradation, biological invasion, and other disturbances. Despite numerous studies about biodiversity in EBFs, the spatiotemporal patterns of species diversity, composition, and their changing trajectories driven by the ecological and evolutional processes are still under discussions, which are crucial in terms of effectively protecting this unique natural resource, and maintaining the ecosystem services it provides. This Special Issue, under the topic of “Pattern and Evolution of Biodiversity in Evergreen Broad-leaved Forests”, aims to explore the spatial and temporal variations of EBF biodiversity from the heterogeneous landscape to region scales, and to disentangle the driving impacts of ecological and evolutionary processes.

Prof. Dr. Zehao Shen
Prof. Dr. Wei Wang
Prof. Dr. Jian Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • evergreen broadleaved forest
  • biodiversity
  • spatiotemporal patterns
  • ecological and evolutionary drivers
  • landscape to regional scales

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 3674 KiB  
Article
Inconsistent Variations in Components of Functional Stability Under Heterogeneous Conditions: A Case Study from the Maolan Karst Forest Ecosystems in Guizhou Province, Southwest of China
by Yong Li, Longchenxi Meng, Luyao Chen, Mingzhen Sui, Guangqi Zhang, Qingfu Liu, Danmei Chen, Fangjun Ding and Lipeng Zang
Forests 2025, 16(2), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020304 - 9 Feb 2025
Viewed by 907
Abstract
Human-induced environmental changes threaten the functional stability of natural forest ecosystems. Understanding the dominant factors influencing both functional space and stability in extremely heterogeneous environments is crucial for elucidating the stability of heterogeneous forest ecosystems. Here, 30 forest dynamic plots were established along [...] Read more.
Human-induced environmental changes threaten the functional stability of natural forest ecosystems. Understanding the dominant factors influencing both functional space and stability in extremely heterogeneous environments is crucial for elucidating the stability of heterogeneous forest ecosystems. Here, 30 forest dynamic plots were established along the successional pathway in Maolan National Nature Reserve in Southwest China. By measuring 15,725 stems across 286 distinct species’ six key plant functional traits, we constructed the key plant functional traits for functional space and quantified functional redundancy (FR) and functional vulnerability (FV) to represent functional stability, and we further utilized the line model and multiple linear regression model to explore the key biotic/abiotic indicators influencing functional stability along the successional pathway of degraded karst forests. Additionally, as the successional pathway unfolded, the contribution of the six plant traits to the overall functional space increased, from 59.85% to 66.64%. These traits included specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf thickness (LT) and leaf nitrogen content (LNC), which played a crucial role in driving functional space. With the increasing species richness (FR), functional entities (p < 0.001) and FR (p < 0.001) increased, while FV (p < 0.01) decreased. The results also demonstrated a higher FR in degraded karst forests (FR > 2). However, over 51% of FEs consisted of a single species, with the majority of species clustered into a few functional entities (FEs), indicating an elevated level of FV in karst forests. Soil nutrient availability significantly influences the ecosystem’s functional stability, explaining 87% of FR variability and 100% of FV variability. Finally, the rich SR of karst forests could provide sufficient insurance effects; soil pH and available potassium (AK) enhance resilience, and exchangeable calcium (Eca), total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK) indicate the resistance of functional stability in degraded karst forests. This study highlights the complex mechanisms of functional stability in extreme habitat conditions, thereby deepening our understanding of ecosystem function maintenance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pattern and Evolution of Biodiversity in Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forests)
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26 pages, 4485 KiB  
Article
Roles of Spatial Distance, Habitat Difference, and Community Age on Plant Diversity Patterns of Fragmented Castanopsis orthacantha Franch. Forests in Central Yunnan, Southwest China
by Xinpei Wang, Qiuyu Zhang, Tao Yang, Xi Tian, Ying Zhang and Zehao Shen
Forests 2025, 16(2), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020245 - 27 Jan 2025
Viewed by 774
Abstract
The semi-humid evergreen broadleaved forest (SEBF) is the zonal vegetation type of western subtropical regions in China. Under human and natural disturbance, the area of SEBFs is severely shrinking, with remaining fragments scattered across mountains of the Central Yunnan Plateau. To explore the [...] Read more.
The semi-humid evergreen broadleaved forest (SEBF) is the zonal vegetation type of western subtropical regions in China. Under human and natural disturbance, the area of SEBFs is severely shrinking, with remaining fragments scattered across mountains of the Central Yunnan Plateau. To explore the mechanisms of community assembly and species maintenance in the severely fragmented SEBFs, we selected three sites—Jinguangsi Provincial Nature Reserve, Huafoshan Scenic Area, and Qiongzhusi Forest Park—across the range of this vegetation type, and sampled a total of 42 plots of forest dominated by Castanopsis orthacantha Franch., the most widely distributed community type of SEBFs. We compared the species richness and composition of the communities of different age classes, employed the net relatedness index to characterize the phylogenetic structure of communities, and used Mantel tests and partial Mantel tests to quantify the impacts of spatial distance, age class, and habitat factors (including climate, topography, and soil) on species turnover across different spatial scales (i.e., intra- and inter-site) for trees, shrubs, and herbs, respectively. The results indicated the following: (1) In the young stage, the C. orthacantha communities exhibited a species richness statistically lower than those in middle-aged and mature communities. Notably, the difference in species richness among age classes was merely significant for shrub and herb species. Moreover, the phylogenetic structure changed towards over-dispersion with increasing community age. (2) The age class of the community played a pivotal role in determining taxonomic β diversity in the tree layer, while climate and soil factors significantly influenced β diversity in the shrub and herb layers of the communities. (3) Environmental filtering emerged as the predominant force shaping community assembly at the intra-site scale, whereas spatial distance was the primary determinant at the inter-site scale. Meanwhile, dispersal limitation versus biological interaction seemed to dominate the community dynamics of the C. orthacantha communities in the early versus middle and old ages, respectively. Our results highlight the variability in community assembly processes across different spatial and temporal scales, providing insights into the priority of the conservation and restoration of severely degraded zonal SEBFs. Expanding research to broader scales and other SEBF types, as well as considering the impacts of climate change and human activities, would provide further insights into understanding the mechanisms of community assembly and effective conservation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pattern and Evolution of Biodiversity in Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forests)
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