Format: ORAL

Sami Touafchia1*, Maria S. Vorontsova2, De-Zhu Li3, Thomas Haevermans1

1 Institut de systématique, évolution, biodiversité, Museum national d’histoire naturelle, Paris, CNRS, SU, UA, EPHE. France. 2 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, United Kingdom 3 Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China

Occurring all over the world (being introduced or native), bamboos represent one of the most familiar group of plants worldwide. Serving as sources of shelter, sustenance, and economic livelihood for a substantial segment of the global population, these versatile plants also play a pivotal ecological role in their native biomes. Their influence extends to the structuring of ecosystems by offering cover and habitats for a diverse array of animal taxa, spanning from invertebrates to mammals, in addition to fostering symbiotic relationships with countless microorganisms. Despite their ecological significance, the systematic study of bamboos poses considerable challenges, leading to periodic reassessments of their classification. The factors underpinning the overarching patterns of diversity and distribution on a global scale remain inadequately understood. This knowledge gap encompasses environmental parameters, historical contexts, dispersion events, and anthropic influences that can shape the distribution of the various bamboo clades. Understanding the correlation between these factors and the observed diversity and distribution patterns is crucial to decipher how environmental have shaped the diversity and distribution of bamboos as observed today. Especially focusing on extremes, like drought or freeze known to limit the ranges of several other plants groups. Such knowledge not only enriches our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes at play but also holds intrinsic value in addressing societal needs and exploring nature-based solutions. Our project with its particular emphasis on bamboo-centric approaches, will provide useful primary data that can be generalized to allow understanding the effects of global climate crisis and its consequences for other groups of plants.