Themes
Mountain systems are widely recognized as “diversity pumps” that drive the evolution and accumulation of global diversity. Owing to their high topographic heterogeneity, mountains provide abundant microhabitats that facilitate species formation, differentiation, and persistence. The Himalaya region is the world's highest mountain ranges and one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots, harboring tens of thousands of highly specialized plant, animals and fungal species. Separating the lowlands of the Indian plains from the high-altitude Xizang Plateau, the Himalayas is not an isolated feature but the central and most dramatic component of a vast, tectonically active orogenic (i.e., mountain-building) systems to the adjacent mountain regions, e.g., the Karakoram Range to central Asia mountains, Pamir, Hindu Kush Mts. (west-northwest); the trans-Himalaya (including the Xizhang Plateau, Hengduan Mountains and other regions; northeast); and the Indochina Peninsula’s mountain systems (south). These regions are acting the roles in climatic barriers and monsoon regulators, tectonic laboratories to explore the evolution of in situ taxa, distribution and adaptation. Despite their ecological and evolutionary significance, reconstructing distribution patterns, evolutionary process and adaptation across the Himalayas and its adjacent mountain regions remains a major scientific challenge.
Since the 1980s, the Journal of Systematics and Evolution (JSE) has published numerous articles on the Himalayas. Early studies focused primarily on new species description, taxonomic delimitation, and cytological variation. Over time, research directions have expanded toward phylogeography, speciation, and adaptive radiation. To gain in-depth insights into the unique role of the Himalayan region, JSE launched the Special Issue Series named the Uplift History and Biological Evolution of the Himalayas, with the first and second issues published in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing and multi-omics technologies have revolutionized biogeographic research. The integration of large-scale genomic datasets with novel analytical frameworks now enables the reconstruction of robust phylogenies and unravel evolutionary histories at unprecedented resolution. Although there are increasing numbers of literatures exploring the biogeographic studies in this region, the lack rigorous studies of biogeography, evolutionary process and adaptation across the Himalayas and adjacent regions with vast genomic datasets. To address this gap, JSE plans to launch the third Special Issue on the Uplift History and Biological Evolution of the Himalayas (III): Distribution Patterns, Evolutionary Process, and Adaptation in the Himalayas and Adjacent Mountain Regions.
This special issue aims to spotlight cutting-edge research in distribution patterns, evolutionary process, and adaptation. By showcasing the latest genomic discoveries alongside theoretical and analytical innovations, this issue seeks to advance the expanding frontiers of biogeography in these regions. Contributions from related disciplines that provide novel insights into Himalayan biogeography are also strongly welcomed.
Subject Coverage or Scope and Topics?
Through this special issue, we aim to advance a biogeographic understanding of the intricate connections between geological history, species distribution, evolutionary processes, and adaptative mechanisms in the Himalayas and adjacent regions. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and other types works to address a variety of key topics in the context, including but not limited to, the following themes:
Studies examine the complex uplift history of the Himalayas and its geological impact on the distribution patterns, using proxies like plants, animals, and microorganisms to reconstruct past geological events to the modern distribution, which will provide the geological framework for understanding distribution dynamics and the environmental drivers.
Research employing advanced genomic and phylogenomic approaches to resolve species relationships and uncover evolutionary processes. Key findings indicate that the Himalayas and adjacent mountain regions acted as both a "cradle" (center of origin and diversification) and a "museum" (center of persistence) of biodiversity.
Studies elucidating the mechanisms underlying organismal adaptation to mountain environments. Relevant topics include the roles of orogeny, topographic complexity, and climate fluctuations (past and future) in shaping adaptive evolution. Research exploring how mountain building generates habitat isolation, driving in situ speciation, and influences evolutionary process and adaptation is especially encouraged.
Organizers
Prof. Hang Sun
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
E-mail: sunhang@mail.kib.ac.cn
Prof. Yao-Wu Xing
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
E-mail: ywxing@xtbg.org.cn
Contributing Authors Benefits
• All articles in the special issue will be free access
• All charges (including page and color charges) will be waived by JSE
Notes for Prospective Authors
We welcome submission in the following formats: Articles, Reviews, Resources, Perspectives, Commentaries, Letters to the Editor, News and Views. Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. All papers, including reviews will be peer-reviewed (suggestions for potential reviewers are welcomed) and held to the standards of the journal. Authors interested in submitting their work for publication in this special issue should consult our website, www.jse.ac.cn, for information on how to submit. Please do not forget to indicate in your cover letter that you are submitting to the " Special Issue on the Uplift History and Biological Evolution of the Himalayas (III): Distribution Patterns, Evolutionary Process and Adaptation in Himalayan and Adjacent Mountain Regions".
Important Dates
Authors interested in contributing to the special issue should submit their manuscripts by Oct. 31, 2026 at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/josae
The target date for publication of the special issue is Jan., 2027, although accepted manuscripts will be published online in advance of the issue.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact:
Prof. Tao Deng
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
E-mail: dengtao@mail.kib.ac.cn
Assoc. Prof. Hong-Hu Meng
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
E-mail: menghonghu@xtbg.ac.cn
or the JSE Editorial Office: jse@ibcas.ac.cn.
