J Syst Evol ›› 2014, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (3): 241-249.DOI: 10.1111/jse.12094

• Editorial •     Next Articles

Evolutionary history and underlying adaptation of alpine plants on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Jian-Quan LIU1*, Yuan-Wen DUAN2, Gang HAO3, Xue-Jun GE4 and Hang SUN2   

  1. 1(Key Laboratory for Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China)
    2(Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China)
    3(College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China)
    4(Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China)
  • Published:2014-05-09

Abstract: As the highest and largest plateau in the world, the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, with its numerous endemic species, is one of the important alpine biodiversity hotspots. Only recently have the evolutionary histories and underlying adaptations of these alpine plants become clear, through research mostly based on testable experiments and analyses. In this issue, we collected a total of 13 papers related to such aims. In addition, we selected a few published papers to highlight the major findings in the recent past. We also outlined the outlook and direction of future research.