Exploring the patterns of biodiversity across multiple facets of river ecosystems and their driving factors is crucial for biodiversity conservation. As the most important tributary of the lower Lancang River, the Buyuan River remains largely unexplored in terms of systematic research on its fish diversity patterns and driving factors. Here, we explored the fish taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity at both alpha and beta levels and their driving factors in the Buyuan River basin. Results showed that fish alpha and beta diversity across different facets in the Buyuan River basin exhibit distinct patterns, and the relationships among various facets of diversity had a degree of independence. Univariate Spearman correlation analysis with FDR correction showed that environmental variables and spatial variables jointly shaped the alpha diversity patterns of fish across three facets in the Buyuan River. Redundancy analysis and variation partitioning analysis indicated that the combined effects of spatial and environmental factors shaped the taxonomic and functional beta diversity patterns of fish in the Buyuan River. Specifically, environmental factors explained more of the variation in taxonomic beta diversity (adjusted R² = 0.364) and its turnover components (adjusted R² = 0.338) than did spatial factors (all adjusted R² values were close to 0), whereas environmental factors (adjusted R2 = 0) explained less of the variation in the nestedness components of taxonomic beta diversity than did spatial factors (adjusted R2 = 0.042). Similarly, functional beta diversity exhibited the same pattern. However, phylogenetic beta diversity (adjusted R2 = 0) and its turnover (adjusted R2 = 0.056) and nestedness (adjusted R2 = 0) components were insensitive to both environmental and spatial factors. This study emphasizes the necessity of employing multifaceted diversity indicators in biodiversity assessments, as different facets of diversity provide complementary information.
Medicinal plants are vital for primary healthcare and modern drug discovery, but traditional knowledge associated with the use of medicinal plants is declining due to cultural acculturation and biodiversity loss. In China, the Mongol ethnic group maintains a distinct ethnomedicinal system shaped by nomadic culture and mountain-steppe environments, yet the spatial distribution of its commonly used medicinal plants and their representation within National Nature Reserves (NNRs) and National Parks (NPs) remain poorly understood. Here, across the 982 grid cells (100 km × 100 km), we integrated three species-based prioritization algorithms with Faith’s phylogenetic diversity (PD) and its standardized effect size (SES.PD). We further analyzed phylogenetic structure across 20 medicinal use categories using the Net Relatedness Index, Nearest Taxon Index, and D statistic. The three species-based algorithms identified 73 priority grid cells, while the upper 5% of Faith’s PD identified 49 PD hotspots. Their integration produced a network of 79 priority grid cells, comprising 43 integrated core priorities, 30 species-based priorities, and six phylogenetic supplementary priorities. Medicinal plants used for dermatological and digestive disorders exhibited consistent non-random phylogenetic structure, while Saussurea, Swertia, Gentiana, Arisaema, and Astragalus were highlighted by both criteria for candidate genus selection. This integrated spatial-phylogenetic framework can support the conservation of Mongol ethnomedicinal resources and inform knowledge-based drug discovery.
