The laboratory aims to study on the pattern, formation and variation of plant species diversity, to reconstruct plant phylogeny, and to unravel the processes and mechanisms underlying evolution. The laboratory also studies character variation and genetic background of resource plants, especially evolutionary and developmental patterns of key characters, to provide a theoretical basis for the genetic improvement of crops and economic plants, and for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. 

The main research fields and research groups are as follows:

(1) Plant taxonomy, conservation and utilization of plant resources

Investigate and study the diversity of plant species; work on taxonomic revision of key species; establish plant resource databases and rapid identification protocols; provide theoretical basis for diversity conservation and resource utilization.

         Taxonomy of mosses and ferns group (Professor Xian-Chun Zhang)

         Seed plant taxonomy group (Professor Shu-Ren Zhang)

         Floristic plant geography group (Professor Xiao-Hua Jin)

        Botanical data team (Professor Zhi-Duan Chen) 

(2) Plant phylogeny and biogeography

Study origin and evolutionary histories of plants; reconstruct plant tree of life; reveal biogeographic distribution patterns, formation processes and biological and non-biological causes of important plant groups; discuss basic principles and methods of plant phylogenetic reconstruction.

          Plant evolutionary biology group (Professor Yu-Fei Wang)

          Phylogenetic reconstruction of plants group (Professor Wei Wang )

          Plant molecular systematics, evolution and biogeography group (Professor Xiao-Quan Wang) 

(3) Adaptive evolution and conservation genetics

Study the relationships between plant genetic variation and environmental changes; discuss the patterns and mechanisms of plant speciation; explore molecular mechanism of adaptive evolution; survey the interactions among species, reveal mechanisms of co-evolution; protect endangered plant species and resource plants; discuss mechanisms of specie endangerment and conservative strategies.

         Population biology and conservation genetics group (Professor Song Ge)

         Ecological and evolutionary genomics group (Professor Ying-Qing Lu)

         Evolutionary genomics and genetics group (Professor Ya-Long Guo)

         Coevolution and ecological adaptation group (Professor Yi-Bo Luo) 

(4) Evolutionary developmental genetics and genomics

Study the origins, variations and developmental mechanisms of plant organs and structures; survey the structures, functions and evolutionary of plant genome; discuss the origins, differentiations and functions of important gene families; reveal the relationships and evolutionary mechanisms among phenotypes, genes and environmental changes.

         Plant phylogenetics and evolutionary development group (Professor Yin-Zheng Wang)

         Functional Evolutionary developmental biology group (Professor Chao-Ying He)

         Evo-devo and regulatory genomics group (Professor Hong-Zhi Kong)

         Plant domestication biology group (Professor Tao Sang)

Bioinformatics and plant evolutionary genomics group (Professor Yuan-Nian Jiao)

Genome and molecular evolution group (Professor Gui-Xia Xu)

Plant terrestrialization and evolution group (Professor Bo Xu)

Organ morphogenesis and evolution group (Professor Yang Dong)