Russell Barrett

Abstract Understanding plant adaptation is critical under intensifying global aridification. Succulence, a key drought-resistance innovation, has evolved repeatedly across plant lineages, yet its intrinsic genomic drivers remain underexplored.

Abstract Identifying centres of neo- and palaeo-endemism is crucial for defining global conservation priorities, yet data gaps hinder prioritization in megadiverse regions. Using a dated phylogeny of 16,585 native vascular plant species, we unravel spatio-temporal dynamics of China’s extant flora. Temporally, most genera originated in the Oligocene–Miocene, whereas the Pleistocene was key for speciation, tying floristic assembly to Pleistocene climatic oscillations.

Abstract Understanding the variability of extinction risk and its potential drivers across different spatial extents is crucial to revealing the underlying processes of biodiversity loss and sustainability. However, in countries with high climatic and topographic heterogeneity, studies on extinction risk are often challenged by complexities associated with extent effects.