|
|
|
|
List in a table
List by decades
List by issues
|
|
|
2026,50 (1)
|
2025,49 (12)
|
2025,49 (11)
|
2025,49 (10)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2026,50 (1)
Position of ecology in the study of living systems. Ecology is the science that studies the structures, functions and dynamics of macro living-systems, which provides a theoretical guidance and practical solutions for maintaining sustainable biosphere. In this issue, Fang et al. (Pages 1-23) systematically review and reinterpret the development history, major theories, scientific connotations, disciplinary framework, and application prospects of ecology, offering important insights for the future development of the discipline and the advancement of ecological civilization.
|
2025,49 (12)
Landscape of tropical seasonal rainforest in Xishuangbanna, Southwestern China (Illustrated by DONG Jin-Long and CHANG Lu-Dan). Dong et al. examined how environmental conditions and tree diameter influence liana prevalence across three tropical forest types in Xishuangbanna, Southwestern China (Pages 1973–1990 of this issue).
|
2025,49 (11)
Ecological and
environmental effects of photovoltaic development (Photographed by ZHANG
Jia-Chen): Large-scale photovoltaic development has altered local microclimates
and profoundly reshaped the structure and function of fragile ecosystems. In
this issue, Du et al. (Pages 1778-1790) and Liu et al. (Pages 1791-1804)
respectively use semi-arid coal mining subsidence area and alpine desertified
grasslands as examples to reveal the mechanisms by which photovoltaic arrays
affect vegetation community formation and ecosystem carbon storage. The results
can provide a foundation for precise ecological optimization in “photovoltaic +
ecological restoration” projects and for subsequent quantitative assessments of
the ecological carbon sink effects of large-scale photovoltaic development.
|
2025,49 (10)
Illustrations of representative endangered plant species in China. More than 4 000 plant species in China are currently at risk of extinction, threatened by habitat fragmentation, climate change, population decline, and reproductive constraints. These pressures highlight the urgent need for multidisciplinary efforts in conservation and restoration research. Focusing on species such as Cathaya argyrophylla, Pinus squamata, Nymphaea candida, and Glycine soja, this special feature brings together recent studies on genetic diversity, ecological constraints, plant-microbe interactions, and threatened-status assessment, providing scientific foundations and technical support for the conservation and sustainable management of China’s endangered flora.
|
2025,49 (9)
Schematic diagram of coupling between aboveground-belowground ecological processes (Illustrated by LU Zhong-Zheng and LIN Hui). The coupling between aboveground and belowground processes is fundamental to understanding ecosystem structure and function. In recent years, remarkable progress has been achieved in elucidating above-belowground interactions, driven by advances in long-term observations, experimental manipulations, and research techniques such as high-throughput sequencing. This special issue, entitled “Effects of Aboveground-Belowground Interactions on Ecosystem Structure and Function” brings together recent studies from forests, grasslands, and other ecosystems, revealing the complex nutrient cycles and feedback mechanisms that link plants, microorganisms, and soils.
|
2025,49 (8)
Schematic diagram of multi-scale long-term observations in terrestrial ecosystems. Long-term ecosystem observation is essential for revealing ecological processes and mechanisms. Since its establishment, the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) has carried out nearly 30 years of standardized observation across typical ecosystems, developing a multi-scale observation system that integrates ground plot surveys, tower-based measurements, and near-surface remote sensing, and accumulating high-quality long-term datasets. This special issue presents plant community composition and structural data from 17 long-term plots, covering their initial establishment and the following decade, to promote the open sharing of CERN data and support ecosystem research.
|
2025,49 (7)
Diagram illustrating clonal foraging (selective placement of ramets) in bamboos. Bamboos are typical clonal plants, producing numerous ramets (culms) interconnected by spacers (rhizomes, also known as "bamboo whips"), which together form a clone or genet. The length and lifespan of spacers vary, giving rise to either dense or sparse clonal networks. Clonal plants are widespread across diverse ecosystems. In this issue (pp. 999–1037), Song et al. review the concepts of plant clonality and clonal traits, and synthesize over four decades of research progress in clonal plant ecology. They highlight how clonal plants respond to environmental changes and evaluate their ecological roles in shaping ecosystem composition, structure, function, and services. The article also discusses the relevance of clonal plant ecology in the context of sustainable development and outlines key directions for future research.
|
2025,49 (6)
Tsuga dumosa mixed forest, a representative vegetation type in the transition zone from evergreen coniferous forests to deciduous broad-leaved forests on the southern slope of the Himalayas (Photo by WANG Zi). This special issue, titled Compiling foundation for Vegegraphy of China, presents community characteristics and plot data for major vegetation types, including evergreen coniferous forests, shrublands and deserts. It also explores the standardization and digitalization of plant community profiles and other chart drawing techniques used in the compilation of the vegegraphy.
|
2025,49 (5)
Montane desert steppe landscape in Zanda, Xizang, China (photograph by LIU Chang-Cheng). In this issue (pages 801–812), Wang et al. investigate the dominant montane desert vegetation types and community structure in this region. Their study identifies five newly recorded desert vegetation types: Caragana versicolor Desert, Ephedra gerardiana Desert, Krascheninnikovia eversmanniana Desert, Lactuca orientalis Desert, and Seriphidium thomsonianum Desert.
|
2025,49 (4)
Mangrove forests in Haikou, Hainan after the typhoon (Photographed by FENG Er-Hui ). After the direct landfall of Super Typhoon “Yagi” on September 6, 2024, Qiao et al. conducted field surveys on nine mangrove communities at four representative locations within the Dongzhai Port Mangrove Nature Reserve, analyzing the damage characteristics, damage severity, community structure, and the impact of geographical location on different mangrove species. The study found that introduced species suffered the most severe damage, while native species experienced relatively less damage. Mangrove communities at tidal creek edges were more severely impacted than those in contiguous areas. The damage severity was significantly correlated with tree height, diameter at breast height, canopy size, and geographical location. This study suggests that future mangrove restoration efforts should consider the wind resistance of mangrove species and adopt mixed-species planting strategies to enhance the stability and wind resilience of mangrove communities (Pages 540-551 of this issue).
|
2025,49 (3)
Landscape of a coastal salt marsh (Photographed by TIAN Ji-Guang). Through a field manipulative experiment, LIU et al. investigated how waterbirds affected benthic microalgae in a coastal salt marsh in the Yangtze estuary, where native vegetation had failed to recover following the removal of invasive Spartina alterniflora. They found that waterbirds not only directly influenced benthic microalgae through grazing, but also exerted a strong trophic cascade effect by directly and indirectly affecting benthic fauna such as crabs and snails, which feed on microalgae. These findings can help enhance our understanding of the mechanisms regulating benthic microalgal communities in coastal wetlands and provide new insights for predicting their dynamics (Pages 367-378 of this issue).
|
2025,49 (2)
Spatial Structure and Distribution Patterns of Subalpine Cold-Temperate Coniferous Forest Communities in Shangri-La (illustrated by Chen Ming-Miao). Abies georgei is the constructive species in this forest, with understory vegetation primarily composed of Rhododendron and Lonicera species. Based on data from a 20 hm2 dynamic monitoring plot in the subalpine cold-temperate coniferous forest of Xamgyi'nyilha (Shangri-La), Yunnan, Wan et al. investigated the spatial patterns, intraspecific and interspecific associations of A. georgei and other dominant species, as well as their relationships with topographic habitats (Pages 268-281 of this issue).
|
2025,49 (1)
Degraded Grassland Restoration in Hulun Buir
(Photo credit: PAN Qing-Min). Approximately 90% of the natural grasslands in
China have been degraded because of climate change and overgrazing. However,
due to limitations in theory and techniques for degraded grassland restoration,
large areas of the degraded grasslands remain inadequately restored. This
special issue, supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences, reports recent advances in identifying key
limiting factors and developing restoration technologies for different types of
degraded grasslands, and aims to provide valuable technical solutions for
restoration of the degraded grasslands in China.
|
2024,48 (12)
Conceptual framework illustrating the effects of soil microbe-native plant interactions on alien plant invasions, the two plants on the left are alien species, while the one on the right is native. This review explores the influence of interactions between native plants and three types of soil microorganisms: pathogenic microbes, symbiotic microbes, and saprophytic microbiota, on plant invasions. It also highlights key directions for future research in this field.
|
2024,48 (11)
Snow-covered forest (Photographed by SU Lei ). Snow regulates winter soil temperature, moisture, and microbial activity, influencing the formation and turnover of soil organic carbon. This issue features two papers focusing on the effects of snow cover and freeze-thaw processes on soil carbon cycling, along with three papers examining the roles of plant and microbial processes in soil organic carbon dynamics. These studies contribute to understanding the driving mechanisms of soil carbon cycling from multiple perspectives.
|
2024,48 (10)
Village landscape
in Xamgyi'nyilha (Shangri-La), Dêqêng
Zangzu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China (Photographed by
CHEN Bao-Dong). Huang et al. comprehensively evaluated the terrestrial
ecosystem carbon sinks, carbon emissi ons, and the contribution of carbon sinks
to carbon neutrality in Yunnan Province from 1981 to 2020, based on measured
ecosystem data and various statistical datasets. They also investigated the
impacts of clean energy production and future climate change on the carbon
sources and sinks in Yunnan. The findings provide valuable insights that can
help guide local governments in working toward the "dual carbon"
goals (Pages 1243-1255 of this issue).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
