The collision of the Indian subcontinent with the Eurasian plate resulted in the formation of Himalaya, which directly or indirectly influenced the Asian monsoon system and the biota. The emerging evidence from the geoscience, paleobiology and biogeography reveals that the uplift history of the Himalaya, onset and intensification of Asian monsoon system and the diversification of biota in the region are interlinked with each other.

Some of the challenging questions about the Himalayan biodiversity are: How did the Himalaya uplift from the sea level to the roof of the world over the last 55 million years? What were the cascading effects of Himalaya uplift on climate change and biological evolution? What were the main drivers of the evolution, speciation, diversification, and endemism in the Himalaya? What are the future prospects of maintenance and survival of biodiversity under the influence of climate change and anthropogenic interactions in the Himalaya?

This special issue aims to collate, select and present the recent progress and new findings on the understanding of the uplift history and biological evolution profile of the Himalaya.­

We welcome submissions of the contributions in all aspects related to the relationships between the uplift of the Himalaya and the evolution of flora. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Tree of life of Himalayan vascular plants

• Uplift history of the Himalaya

• Paleoflora and climate change of the Himalaya

• Evolution, speciation and diversification of the flora in the Himalaya

• Biodiversity and endemism in the Himalaya

• Maintenance and conservation of biodiversity in the Himalaya

Organizers

Yangjun Lai, Gaurav Srivastava, Uma Shankar, Zhiduan Chen, Song Ge, Jun Wen

We welcome the submission of Reviews, Preliminary Communications, and full papers (Articles). 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). The format for the manuscripts and the criteria for publication will conform to the standard policies of the journal that can be found in the Instructions & Forms section at: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/josae.

Contributing authors benefit from:

• All articles in the special issue will be open access

• All charges (page and color) will be waived by the journal

• Two free copies and 30 free reprints (upon request)

To avoid delays in the publication of the special issue due to late submissions, a deadline of June 30, 2020, for receipt of manuscripts will be enforced. Manuscripts may be submitted anytime prior to this deadline, and they will be published on the journal Web site following approval for publication. The print version, however, will be held for the special issue. Early submission of manuscripts is strongly encouraged as this will facilitate the evaluation process and allow more time for revisions when necessary.