Globally, increasing temperatures due to climate change have severely affected natural ecosystems in several regions of the world; however, the impact on the alpine plant may be particularly profound, further raising the risk of extinction for rare and endangered alpine plants. To identify how alpine species have responded to past climate change and to predict the potential geographic distribution of species under future climate change, we investigated the distribution records of A. chensiensis, an endangered alpine plant in the Qinling Mountains listed in the Red List. In this study, the optimized MaxEnt model was used to analyse the key environmental variables related to the distribution of A. chensiensis based on 93 wild distribution records and six environmental variables. The potential distribution areas of A. chensiensis in the last interglacial (LIG), the last glacial maximum (LGM), the current period, and the 2050s and 2070s were simulated. Our results showed that temperature is critical to the distribution of A. chensiensis, with the mean temperature of the coldest quarter being the most important climatic factor affecting the distribution of this species. In addition, ecological niche modeling analysis showed that the A. chensiensis distribution area in the last interglacial experiencing population expansion and, during the last glacial maximum occurring, a population contraction. Under the emission scenarios in the 2050s and 2070s, the suitable distribution area would contract significantly, and the migration routes of the centroids tended to migrate toward the southern high-altitude mountains, suggesting a strong response from the A. chensiensis distribution to climate change. Collectively, the results of this study provide a comprehensive and multidimensional perspective on the geographic distribution pattern and history of population dynamics for the endemic, rare, and endangered species, A. chensiensis, and it underscores the significant impact of geological and climatic changes on the geographic pattern of alpine species populations.

H. perforatum, as one of the Traditional Chinese Medicinal materials, possesses a variety of pharmacological activities and high medicinal value. However, in recent years, the wild resources of H. perforatum have been severely depleted due to global climate change and human activities, and artificial cultivation faces problems such as unstable yield and active ingredient content. This poses a serious obstacle to the development and utilization of its resources. Therefore, this experiment took H. perforatum as the research object and used 894 distribution records of H. perforatum and 36 climatic environmental factors, using the MaxEnt model and GIS technology to explore the main climatic factors affecting the distribution of H. perforatum. Additionally, by utilizing the principles of ecological niche theory, the potential suitable distribution regions of H. perforatum across past, present, and future timelines were predicted, which can ascertain the dynamics of its spatial distribution patterns and the trend of centroid migration. The results indicate that the main environmental factors affecting the geographical distribution of H. perforatum are solar radiation in April (Srad4), solar radiation in September (Srad9), mean temperature of driest quarter (Bio9), solar radiation in November (Srad11), annual mean temperature (Bio1), and annual precipitation (Bio12). Under future climate scenarios, there is a remarkable trend of expansion in the suitable distribution areas of H. perforatum. The centroid migration indicates a trend of migration towards the northwest direction and high-altitude areas. These results can provide a scientific basis for formulating conservation and sustainable use management strategies for H. perforatum resources.

Huang-Qi (Astragali radix) is one of the most widely used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, derived from the dried roots of Astragalus membranaceus or Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus. To date, more than 200 compounds have been reported to be isolated and identified in Huang-Qi. However, information pertaining to Huang-Qi breeding is considerably fragmented, with fundamental gaps in knowledge, creating a bottleneck in effective breeding strategies. This review systematically introduces Huang-Qi germplasm resources, genetic diversity, and genetic breeding, including wild species and cultivars, and summarizes the breeding strategy for cultivars and the results thereof as well as recent progress in the functional characterization of the structural and regulatory genes related to horticultural traits. Perspectives about the resource protection and utilization, breeding, and industrialization of Huang-Qi in the future are also briefly discussed.

In recent years, global climate change, combined with increased human activities, has led to habitat degradation and range shifts in rare medicinal plants, potentially affecting the quality of medicinal herbs. In this study, we assessed how key environmental variables shape the potential distribution of Apocynum venetum L. based on 281 wild occurrence records and nine environmental variables using the MaxEnt model. The results revealed that the mean temperature of the coldest quarter, solar radiation in June, and elevation are the most significant factors affecting the distribution of A. venetum, with optimal values ranging from −10 to 5 °C, 21,000 to 23,000 kJ m⁻² day⁻¹, and 200 to 1500 m, respectively. Ecological niche modeling indicated that highly suitable habitats are primarily located in Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Inner Mongolia. However, future projections under climate change suggest an expansion of these suitable areas, shifting towards higher latitudes in the northwestern regions and high-altitude mountains. These findings provide a scientific basis for guiding the production and sustainable utilization of A. venetum resources.