Zhao Jiagang, Li Shufeng, Huang Jian, Ding Wenna, Wu Mengxiao, Su Tao, Farnsworth Alexander, Valdes Paul J, Chen Linlin, Xing Yaowu, Zhou Zhekun
CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Plant Divers. 2024 Jul 22;47(1):1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.pld.2024.07.004. eCollection 2025 Jan.
Evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs) are widely distributed in East Asia and play a vital role in ecosystem stability. The occurrence of these forests in East Asia has been a subject of debate across various disciplines. In this study, we explored the occurrence of East Asian EBLFs from a paleobotanical perspective. By collecting plant fossils from four regions in East Asia, we have established the evolutionary history of EBLFs. Through floral similarity analysis and paleoclimatic reconstruction, we have revealed a diverse spatio-temporal pattern for the occurrence of EBLFs in East Asia. The earliest occurrence of EBLFs in southern China can be traced back to the middle Eocene, followed by southwestern China during the late Eocene-early Oligocene. Subsequently, EBLFs emerged in Japan during the early Oligocene and eventually appeared in central-eastern China around the Miocene. Paleoclimate simulation results suggest that the precipitation of wettest quarter (PWetQ, mm) exceeding 600 mm is crucial for the occurrence of EBLFs. Furthermore, the heterogeneous occurrence of EBLFs in East Asia is closely associated with the evolution of the Asian Monsoon. This study provides new insights into the occurrence of EBLFs in East Asia.
常绿阔叶林广泛分布于东亚地区，对生态系统的稳定起着至关重要的作用。这些森林在东亚地区的出现一直是各学科争论的焦点。在本研究中，我们从古植物学的角度探讨了东亚常绿阔叶林的出现情况。通过收集东亚四个地区的植物化石，我们建立了常绿阔叶林的演化历史。通过植物区系相似性分析和古气候重建，我们揭示了东亚常绿阔叶林出现的多样时空模式。东亚常绿阔叶林最早出现在中国南方，可追溯到始新世中期，随后在始新世晚期至渐新世早期出现在中国西南部。随后，在渐新世早期，常绿阔叶林出现在日本，最终在中新世左右出现在中国中东部。古气候模拟结果表明，最湿润季度降水量（PWetQ，毫米）超过600毫米对常绿阔叶林的出现至关重要。此外，东亚常绿阔叶林的非均匀分布与亚洲季风的演化密切相关。本研究为东亚常绿阔叶林的出现提供了新的见解。
