Abstract:

Cathaya argyrophylla, a National Class I protected plant and an endemic “living fossil” species in China, has fewer than 2 500 wild individuals. Over the past 40 years, extensive research have been conducted on its biological characteristics, genetic diversity, habitat requirements, and conservation strategies. However, C. argyrophylla wild populations continue to decline, presenting a severe conservation challenge. We reviewed the research progress on C. argyrophylla, analyzing its endangered status from aspects such as growth and reproduction traits, geographical distribution, and population dynamics. Additionally, we conducted surveys of fourteen wild populations in 2023 and found that C. argyrophylla seedlings are scarce, juvenile tree mortality rate is high, and population structure indicates a declining trend. This suggests that natural regeneration of C. argyrophylla is hindered, and the current conservation measures are insufficient to reverse the decline. Although progress has been made in seedling cultivation and ex situ conservation, there is still a significant gap in protecting the species’ genetic diversity, which requires urgent attention and improvement. Future research and conservation efforts should integrate multiple disciplines and apply new technologies, particularly high-throughput sequencing for conservation genomics, to reveal the endangerment mechanisms and adaptive potential of C. argyrophylla. Additionally, integration of multi-source remote sensing technologies is necessary to monitor population dynamics and habitat changes, which could provide more accurate data to support conservation of C. argyrophylla.

Key words: biodiversity, endangered plant, endangerment mechanism, ex situ conservation, in situ conservation