News
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2026-05-22New Species of Glomeridae Discovered in Dinghushan, Guangdong, Filling a Zoogeographic Gap for Millipedes in ChinaThis study describes a new pill millipede species Rhopalomeris dinghushan sp. nov. from Dinghushan National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, using an integrative taxonomic approach combining morphology and COI gene barcoding, which represents the first record of the genus Rhopalomeris in China.This discovery fills the zoogeographic gap of the... On May 20, 2026, the international zoological taxonomy journal ZooKeys published online a research result by a team from the South China Botanical Garden (Chinese Academy of Sciences), South China Agricultural University, Sun Yat-sen University, and other institutions. During biodiversity surveys and monitoring in Dinghushan National Nature Rese...Read More -
2026-05-19Tropical Primary Forest Plants Up-regulate Root Exudation to Adapt to Long-term High Nitrogen DepositionIt remains unclear how tropical and subtropical forests adapt to nutrient imbalance under long-term elevated nitrogen deposition. This study reveals that trees accelerate rhizosphere phosphorus mobilization by increasing carbon allocation to root exudation, which challenges the conventional paradigm that long-term nitrogen deposition reduces bel... Intensifying global nitrogen (N) deposition has disrupted the N–phosphorus (P) balance in ecosystems, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions where available P is relatively scarce. Extensive studies in temperate N‑limited ecosystems have led to a classic paradigm: N addition alleviates plant competition for N, thereby reducing the al...Read More -
2026-05-13Multiple newly recorded species of wildlife and plants have been continuously discovered at Dinghushan National Nature ReserveBased on daily wildlife monitoring and field surveys, five new records of amphibians and reptiles and one new record of an orchid species were documented in the Dinghushan National Nature Reserve of Guangdong province . These new records enrich the species list of the Dinghushan Reserve, confirm the continuing improvement of the regional ecologi... Recently, the scientific monitoring team of Dinghushan National Nature Reserve in Guangdong, China, has recorded and confirmed five new amphibian and reptile species—Sphenomorphus tonkinensis, Pseudocalotes microlepis, Dibamus bourreti, Pareas formosensis, and Paramegophrys liui—along with Epipogium roseum, a rare orchid species. These finding...Read More -
2026-05-12【South】Exotic plant blooms again at South China National Botanical Garden after four yearsThe Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, a rare plant known for its short-lived bloom, has flowered again at the South China National Botanical Garden in Guangzhou. The Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, a rare plant known for its short-lived bloom, has flowered again at the South China National Botanical Garden in Guangzhou. This is the first time it has bloomed there in four years, drawing crowds of visitors to the garden's Rare and Exotic Plant Conservatory.As a member of the Araceae family, Amorphophallus pa...Read More -
2026-05-12【China Daily】A"ghost orchid" has appeared!Background:transparent}A type of mysterious orchidhas just beendiscovered in Dinghu Mountain National Nature Reserve, Guangdong. A type of mysterious orchid (Epipogium roseum) has just beendiscovered in Dinghu Mountain National Nature Reserve, Guangdong.Completely white, translucent, and leafless - it has no chlorophyll andcan't photosynthesize. It lives underground with fungi and only showsitself for about two weeks before disappearing. That's why it's called the"ghost o...Read More -
2026-05-11Rare-earth mining weakens the nitrogen-sink function of river ecosystemsRare-earth mining generates REE-rich, high-nitrogen drainage (REEs-HNMD) that not only elevates nitrogen loading but also weakens riverine nitrogen-sink function.This study reveals that REEs-HNMD suppresses sediment denitrification, thereby reducing the capacity of mining-affected rivers to buffer downstream nitrogen pollution. Reactive nitrogen enrichment is a major pressure on freshwater ecosystems. Rivers can act as nitrogen sinks by permanently removing reactive nitrogen before it is transported downstream, thereby buffering watershed-scale nitrogen pollution. Previous work by the research team showed that, in high-nitrogen urban rivers, coupled nitrification, deni...Read More -
2026-05-07Spatial Patterns and Climatic Drivers of Biomass Carbon Turnover in Amazonian ForestsThe tropical forest carbon sink is constrained by biomass turnover. This study assesses biomass turnover across the Amazon and identifies convective storms as the primary driver of its spatial variation, with future climate change expected to accelerate turnover and weaken forest carbon sink capacity. Tropical forests store more than 60% of the world’s vegetation biomass and are among the most important ecosystems for regulating the global carbon cycle and stabilizing climate. The carbon sink capacity of forests depends not only on vegetation productivity, but also on how long carbon remains stored in biomass. Biomass carbon turnover time re...Read More -
2026-05-01Phylogeographic Patterns and Underlying Mechanisms of a Mycoheterotrophic Plant in Subtropical ChinaPlastome and microsatellite data reveal strong population structure but low genetic diversity in the fully mycoheterotrophic herb Burmannia nepalensis across subtropical China. Multiple glacial refugia and a recent population decline highlight the roles of geographic isolation, climatic history, and human disturbance in shaping subtropical fores... Subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests represent one of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots. Compared with trees and shrubs, however, the evolutionary history of understory herbs remains poorly understood, particularly for mycoheterotrophic plants that rely on fungi for nutrition. These plants lack photosynthetic capacity and depend hea...Read More