High plant diversity and characteristic plant community structure in broad‐leaved evergreen forests on Amami‐Oshima and Tokunoshima Islands, Japan's newest natural World Heritage Site

Amami-Oshima and Tokunoshima Islands, part of Japan's newest natural World Heritage Site, exhibit exceptionally high plant diversity in their broad-leaved evergreen forests. This study reveals that the islands' flora is characterized by unique species richness anomalies, particularly among shared plant families, setting them apart from regions at higher and lower latitudes. Environmental factors such as temperature and altitude positively influence this diversity, while regional weather variations also play a significant role. Notably, both tree and herbaceous plants contribute substantially to biodiversity metrics, including rarity. The research employed 5 × 100 m plots across seven sites on the Amami Islands, alongside data from the Monitoring Sites 1000 Project, to analyze α and β diversity patterns using environmental variables and species frequency. These findings underscore the islands as critical biodiversity hotspots, emphasizing the importance of evaluating herbaceous species in comprehensive biodiversity assessments.

Toyama, H., Tagane, S., Aiba, S.-i., Ugawa, S., Suzuki, E., Yamazaki, K., Fuse, K., Takashima, A., Kadoya, T., & Takeuchi, Y. (2023). High plant diversity and characteristic plant community structure in broad‐leaved evergreen forests on Amami‐Oshima and Tokunoshima Islands, Japan’s newest natural World Heritage Site. Ecological Research, 38(3), 403–419. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12381