Past Extinction and Contemporary Environment Jointly Shape the Plant Diversity Pattern in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, Tibet

Past Extinction and Contemporary Environment Jointly Shape the Plant Diversity Pattern in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, Tibet | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 9 February 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Past Extinction and Contemporary Environment Jointly Shape the Plant Diversity Pattern in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, Tibet Authors : Biao Dong 0009-0008-4005-4683 , Yu Yang , Gang Zhou 0000-0002-7184-5049 , Longyi Yuan , Mingxi Jiang 0000-0002-9719-3093 , and Xiujuan Qiao [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177066200.08997909/v1 106 views 58 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Unraveling the drivers of diversity patterns is foundational to effective plant conservation and maintaining ecosystem stability. The Yarlung Zangbo River Basin (YZRB), a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot and Tibet’s most critical ecosystem, supports exceptional plant diversity, yet the spatial patterns of plant diversity distribution and their underlying mechanisms across the entire basin have not been systematically validated. To address this gap, we compiled a comprehensive plant dataset covering 39 counties in the YZRB, integrating multiple data from global/national databases (e.g., GBIF, NSII), authoritative floras (Flora of China, Flora Xizangica), and field surveys. We then characterized patterns of species richness (α diversity) and community compositional differences (β diversity) across key functional groups, including woody vs. herbaceous plants and wide-ranged vs. narrow-ranged species. Our results demonstrated that species richness declines from the humid southeastern to the arid northwestern YZRB, a pattern primarily shaped by hydrothermal conditions (e.g., mean annual precipitation and temperature) and topographic heterogeneity (e.g., elevation range). In contrast, β diversity (and its two components: turnover and nestedness) peaks in the basin’s middle reaches, shaped by environmental filtering and nestedness driven by historical glacial extinctions and incomplete post-glacial recolonization. This is the first systematic, basin-wide validation of plant diversity patterns in the YZRB. The study highlights the importance of contemporary environmental filtering and historical climatic processes in shaping basin-scale plant diversity, providing critical scientific support for targeted conservation strategies. Supplementary Material File (manuscript.docx) Download 1.00 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 09 February 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords environmental filtration species richness yarlung zangbo river basin β diversity Authors Affiliations Biao Dong 0009-0008-4005-4683 Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Botanical Garden View all articles by this author Yu Yang Xizang University View all articles by this author Gang Zhou 0000-0002-7184-5049 Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Botanical Garden View all articles by this author Longyi Yuan Yangtze University View all articles by this author Mingxi Jiang 0000-0002-9719-3093 Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Botanical Garden View all articles by this author Xiujuan Qiao [email protected] Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Botanical Garden View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 106 views 58 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Biao Dong, Yu Yang, Gang Zhou, et al. Past Extinction and Contemporary Environment Jointly Shape the Plant Diversity Pattern in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, Tibet. Authorea . 09 February 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177066200.08997909/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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