ArticleNature ecology & evolution2025
Insights from a century of data reveal global trends in ex situ living plant collections.
Article in Nature ecology & evolution, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Genetic diversity in urban forests and their potential role in conserving the world's threatened tree species.Annals of botany · 2026Review
- Population genomics reveals a representation gap in the conservation of Ardisia gigantifolia (Primulaceae), an endangered species endemic to China.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- High-performance living plant collections require a globally integrated data ecosystem to meet twenty-first-century challenges.Nature plants · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
53 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Ex situ living plant collections play a crucial role in providing nature-based solutions to twenty-first century global challenges. However, the complex dynamics of these artificial ecosystems are poorly quantified and understood, affecting biodiversity storage, conservation and utilization. To evaluate the management of ex situ plant diversity, we analysed a century of data comprising 2.2 million records, from a meta-collection currently holding ~500,000 accessions and 41% of global ex situ species diversity. Our study provides critical insights into the historical evolution, current state and future trajectory of global living collections. We reveal sigmoidal growth of a meta-collection that has reached capacity in both total accessions and total diversity, and identify intrinsic constraints on biodiversity management, including a median survival probability of 15 years. We explore the impact of external constraints and quantify the influence of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which we link to reduced acquisition of wild-origin and internationally sourced material by 44% and 38%, respectively. We further define the impact of these constraints on ex situ conservation but highlight targeted initiatives that successfully mitigate these challenges. Ultimately, our study underscores the urgent need for strategic prioritization and the re-evaluation of ex situ biodiversity management to achieve both scientific and conservation goals.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.