Macroevolutionary and macroecological perspectives on the spatiotemporal patterns of endemic vascular plants in temperate Asia

The holistic view of nature held by 19th-century naturalists laid the foundation for biodiversity research. The rise of population biology paradigms in the early 20th century led to a separation between ecological and evolutionary studies, weakening macro-scale research. To analyze diversity patterns across broad spatiotemporal scales, integrative research in macroevolution and macroecology has gradually emerged. Leveraging advancements in big data and analytical methods, this field integrates phylogenetic reconstruction, divergence time estimation, and eco-evolutionary inference to uncover the mechanisms driving biodiversity from a “Deep Time and Broad Scale” perspective, thereby providing scientific support for biodiversity conservation. Temperate Asia, a key region with over 67% of endemic vascular plant species, exhibits two major floristic characteristics: “eastern Asian and eastern North American disjunct distributions” and “Tertiary relict floras”. These features reflect processes of isolation, divergence, and refuge survival upon geological and climatic changes. This review summarizes key advances in the study of endemic vascular plants in this region, including quantification of endemism, the museum/cradle, and the climate refuge hypothesis, aiming to provide a basis for biodiversity conservation and further research in the area.