J Syst Evol ›› 2025, Vol. 63 ›› Issue (1): 12-24.DOI: 10.1111/jse.13166

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Phylogenetic regionalization of the Pan-Himalayan vascular flora

Yun Liu1,2,3†, Saddam Saqib1,2,4†, Limin Lu1,2, Yangjun Lai1,2, Haihua Hu1,2, Danxiao Peng1,2, Wajid Zaman1,2,5, Lina Zhao1,2, Bing Liu1,2,6, Qiang Wang1,2, Anming Lu1,2, Deyuan Hong1,2, Jianfei Ye1,2,7*, and Zhiduan Chen1,2,6*   

  1. 1State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops and Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
    2China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
    3College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
    4State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
    5Department of Life Sciences, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Gyeongbuk, Korea
    6Sino‐Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    7State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus, Sun Yat‐sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China

    These authors contributed equally to this work.
    *Authors for correspondence. Jianfei Ye. E‐mail: yejf9@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Zhiduan Chen. E‐mail: zhiduan@ibcas.ac.cn
  • Received:2024-11-29 Accepted:2025-01-09 Online:2025-02-13 Published:2025-01-01
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Key Research Development Program of China (2023YFF0805800 and 2022YFF0802300), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC31590822 and 32270233), the Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS (XDB31000000 and XDA19050103), Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (202206193000001, 20220816162653003), and the Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program by CAST (2018QNRC001).

Abstract: Pan-Himalaya, including Himalaya and its neighboring areas, hosts a rich and unique flora that is crucial for understanding the evolutionary history of mountainous biodiversity. Phylogenetic regionalization can provide novel insights into biodiversity distribution patterns and their formation mechanisms. In this study, based on comprehensive species distribution data and a species-level phylogenetic tree, we propose a phylogenetic regionalization scheme of the Pan-Himalayan vascular flora comprising 15 zones, which can be grouped into five floristic subregions and three floristic regions (i.e., the West Himalayan [WH], the Southeast Himalayan [SEH], and the Northeast Himalayan [NEH] regions). Our results reveal that the SEH and NEH regions are closely clustered, which are then grouped with the WH region. The floras of these three regions exhibit distinct evolutionary histories and phylogenetic structures. The WH region presents a phylogenetically clustered flora with Euro-Mediterranean affinities and the highest evolutionary uniqueness. The NEH region has the highest species richness and phylogenetic diversity, with most of its areas, especially at higher elevations, displaying phylogenetic clustering. In contrast, the SEH region exhibits a phylogenetically overdispersed flora, characterized by harboring species-rich families with tropical, temperate, and alpine distributions, as well as relict plant lineages. This study provides valuable insights into the evolutionary history of the Pan-Himalayan flora and informs the development of effective conservation strategies.

Key words: beta diversity, bioregionalization, evolutionary history, Pan‐Himalaya, phylogenetic diversity, phylogenetic structure.