An international team of researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their collaborators revealed that contemporary climate and environment, not deep biogeographic history, are the primary drivers of local-scale tree diversity. Despite major differences in geological history, climate evolution, and species pool composition among continents, their tree diversity responds to environmental factors in a highly consistent manner.

Plant diversity loss is a transboundary crisis requiring collective action. It remains our collective responsibility to recognize the value of plant diversity, ensure its protection, and integrate it into sustainable development practices worldwide. By fostering collaboration among nature reserves, botanical gardens, local communities, and schools, we can enhance the adaptive capacity of plant diversity and secure equitable benefits for all cultures, future generations, and the planet as a whole.

Researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG）of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Freie Universität Berlin investigated whether follower bees combine the dance-derived vector with their memory of landscape features to form a more precise flight path.