Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Biodiversity data linkage is a prerequisite for addressing pressing societal and research questions. Digitisation of resources has progressed rapidly, but this has led to a number of parallel approaches for datasets and services, making it difficult for users to identify the appropriate tool for their requirements. While scientific names are a key element for data linkage, they are not fully suited to this role. Many of them are not unique identifiers for taxa (such as the species that form the basic building block of a large part of biodiversity information) because taxonomic research has resulted in name changes. Likewise, usage is prone to errors like misspellings or misapplication of nomenclatural rules. This complexity and unreliability may demotivate data providers from readying their valuable datasets for integration into an interlinked landscape of biodiversity information. Correct linking of scientific names is an important element in this process of linking data from various sources. Aggregated taxonomic datasets and name-matching services are an essential infrastructure to build tools for this purpose and are increasingly using unique, resolvable and persistent name identifiers. Accessing the aggregated dataset via these identifiers can also display connections between the names within the dataset, linking, orthographic variants to correct spelling, synonyms to accepted taxon name etc. External datasets that hold valuable research and usage information as taxon-associated data can also be linked directly via these identifiers. This helps them to meet the FAIR data criteria (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). Name matching finds the aggregator's name identifier, adding this identifier to the local data record may help to further interconnect biodiversity information, if data providers are motivated to partake in this process of enabling data linkage. We posit that this motivation can be increased by simplifying the process of choosing the right method for their specific needs, which may vary widely. We thus propose a framework that helps users to select the optimal workflow to address these needs. This involves: (i) identifying and categorising the specific criteria that characterise different user needs; (ii) based on these criteria, defining the necessary metadata both for taxonomic datasets accessed by name-matching services and the name-matching services themselves; (iii) providing tools based on these metadata that will allow users to interactively and confidently choose the best-fit target dataset and name matching service for their specific purpose.

With increasing pressures from climate change and urban expansion, the development of resilient “sponge cities” is essential to mitigate flooding and reduce pollution. Rain gardens represent a key green infrastructure intervention and have the potential to be implemented far more widely in new developments or retrofitted into existing ones. Rain gardens are particularly appealing to urban planners because they can deliver multiple co-benefits by enhancing biodiversity and amenity while achieving water management objectives. However, gaps in the understanding of rain garden hydrology remain a barrier to widespread adoption. In contrast to grey infrastructure, which is supported by extensive empirical research, confidence in the hydraulic performance of vegetated systems remains limited. To embed rain gardens more effectively in urban design, their hydrological functioning must be quantified more accurately and design parameters refined. A major source of uncertainty lies in the behaviour of rooted soils. Recent studies highlight that root-oriented preferential flow can substantially increase soil hydraulic conductivity, reduce surface runoff and prevent sediment from clogging drainage structures. Plant roots may also improve soil water retention, enhance rainfall interception, attenuate peak flow and support pollutant removal. Yet despite this growing awareness, these mechanisms remain poorly quantified and are rarely represented in models of green infrastructure. As a result, current engineering design typically relies only on physical soil parameters, without accounting for dynamic plant–soil interactions. This study investigates the influence of root-oriented preferential flow on rain garden hydrology through a mixed-methods approach combining laboratory experimentation, field observation and mathematical modelling. The first phase involves single-plant mesocosms in a three-year longitudinal laboratory study of rooted soil hydrology, complemented by regular MRI imaging to capture root architecture development. This study presents initial findings from this longitudinal experiment, demonstrating how high-resolution MRI scanning can be integrated with continuous hydrological monitoring to reveal emerging flow pathways in rooted soils. These data will inform a mechanistic model that quantifies the effects of preferential flow across different root types and depths, providing new parameterisations for use in rain garden performance models.

ABSTRACT Aim Orchids make up 8% of Madagascar's vascular plant species richness and are typically associated with the island's forests. Yet most of the island is covered by open ecosystems, long dismissed as degraded. This perception has contributed to their neglect, limiting our understanding of species ecology and hindering conservation action in this global biodiversity hotspot. Using orchids, we provide a novel understanding of plant diversity patterns across Madagascar's ecosystems. Location Madagascar. Methods We assessed the ecosystem attribution of the 884 orchid species of Madagascar among closed (forest) and open (grassy, marsh, rocky outcrop, scrub) ecosystems. We analysed the taxonomic composition, richness, environmental niche, geographic patterns, phenology, and collection patterns of orchids using a mix of herbarium, publication, and iNaturalist data. Results We find that 31% of Madagascar's orchid species occur in open ecosystems, with 17% restricted to them. These species match closed‐ecosystem species in degree of endemism to Madagascar (~85%) but are associated with higher elevations, fire, and pronounced precipitation seasonality, and are distributed particularly in the grassy Central Highlands, a region historically undervalued ecologically compared to humid forests. Temporally, open‐ecosystem specialist orchids exhibit strongly synchronous, brief wet‐season flowering, unlike the more diffuse flowering observed throughout the year in forests. Conclusions We reveal a distinct component of Madagascar's orchid flora, demonstrating that open‐ecosystem species represent high endemism and ecological specialisation, with implications for understanding biogeography and conservation planning across tropical landscapes. These results provide an evidence base for open ecosystem conservation and suggest that other taxa may also be under‐represented in our understanding of Madagascar's open‐ecosystem biodiversity. Re‐evaluating open ecosystems can uncover overlooked dimensions of species diversity and ecological function, informing more balanced conservation strategies across contrasting ecosystems.

Abstract Dry ecosystems are critical to the global carbon cycle. Seasonally dry tropical ecosystems as a whole are botanically megadiverse, yet we have little understanding of how diversity impacts aboveground carbon, which is particularly noticeable for insular Asia. Across 133 vegetation plots on the seasonally dry tropical island of Flores, we used spatially explicit models to determine how land use impacts aboveground carbon stocks and whether this is dependent upon multidimensional diversity. Carbon is greatest in primary forests and least in agricultural landscapes. However, we find that land use interacts with phylogenetic and species diversity to shape carbon stocks. Across almost all models, quadratic effects of diversity were better predictors of carbon, indicating that whilst the initial build-up of diversity increases carbon, greater diversity causes carbon decline. Results suggest that future conservation plans will be needed to balance carbon storage with multidimensional diversity, which may offer distinct benefits for ecosystem resilience and services.

Botanical field surveys performed in the largest terrestrial protected area in the Philippines, Samar Island Natural Park (SINP), led to the discovery of three new species of Etlingera ( Zingiberaceae ) herein described. Etlingera cinnabarina sp. nov. can easily be distinguished by its red orange flowers, at least among Philippine species. Etlingera funakoshii sp. nov. was first identified and recorded in the Philippines as Etlingera brevilabrum , but the absence of black patches in the ligule, absence of reddish cloudy patches in the laminae, and 1-2 flowers per flowering shoot makes it a unique species. Etlingera rigida sp. nov. is closely resembling Etlingera pilosa but unique by the sessile leaves, purplish to reddish abaxial side of the lamina and rigid young fertile bracts. Each new species is provided with a detailed description, colour plate, and information on distribution, phenology, and habitat. Etlingera cinnabarina matches the criteria of the IUCN red list as Endangered (EN), whereas E. funakoshii and E. rigida as Critically Endangered (CN), since all three species have narrow distributions and threats in their respective habitats. A key to the Etlingera of Samar Island is also provided.

Targets have been set within the Global Biodiversity Framework to increase in situ and ex situ conservation activities to address the biodiversity crisis and impacts of climate change. This paper highlights the horticultural skills and facilities held in botanic gardens that can make an essential contribution to these conservation activities and that are often termed ‘conservation horticulture’. Previously published research identified a lack of cohesion in the use of this term. This research seeks to explain the reasons for this through analysis of both previously published data and new data. New data presented was collected through semi-structured interviews with practitioners involved in conservation horticulture programmes in Europe, Asia, Australasia and North America. Key findings include the need for an understanding of conservation and horticultural principles, and the importance of research, teamwork and communication to deliver conservation horticulture projects. A theme map of the findings is presented as are factors to be considered when planning conservation horticulture projects.

The genus Inga (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) is a key component of tropical American forests, yet its high species diversity and morphological complexity hinder accurate identification, especially in montane environments. In this study, we evaluated 49 morphological characters (32 categorical and 17 continuous) from 73 Inga species occurring above 1000 m in Colombia. We applied a multi-criteria framework combining Spearman correlation, Shannon entropy and a discriminant index to prioritise diagnostic characters, based on redundancy, variability and discriminatory power. The results indicate that categorical characters, particularly stipule shape, indumentum type on both lamina surfaces and the petiole, interfoliar nectaries shape, leaflet apex and base shapes are the most informative for species identification and therefore received the highest scores. In contrast, continuous characters showed limited variation among species and were less useful and received lower scores. A usability test demonstrated higher accuracy and faster identifications when using the highest-scoring characters. This framework not only improves identification efficiency in field and herbarium settings but also offers a scalable model for intelligent, user-friendly taxonomic tools. As a complementary output, we present an open-access, interactive identification key, designed to improve the quality and reliability of Inga identifications across the Colombian Andes.

Understanding how genomic architecture shapes patterns of gene flow is fundamental to unraveling the mechanisms of plant speciation. Here, we investigate whether differential gene flow dynamics between genomic spatial compartments play a role in speciation of Rhododendron subsect. Scabrifolia. We first present a chromosome-level genome assembly for Rhododendron spinuliferum, and use this to characterize large-scale chromatin organization, including A and B compartments. We then use genome resequencing data for 139 individuals from 15 populations of all eight species of R. subsect. Scabrifolia endemic to Southwest China to investigate speciation history. We find significant disparities in the extent of genomic differentiation between A and B compartments. The B compartment, closely associated with centromeres, tends to exhibit higher genetic differentiation, whereas the gene-rich A compartment appears less differentiated and exhibits more extreme fdm values, suggesting more extensive localized introgression. We propose that the heterogeneous nature of gene flow across genomic compartments contributes to speciation in Rhododendron, and may play a critical yet underappreciated role in gene flow dynamics in plants.