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In memory of Professor Tang Yan‐Cheng: New perspectives in systematic and evolutionary biology

In China, three institutes for botanical research were established in the 1920s, namely the Department of Botany, Biological Laboratory of the Science Society of China (1922, Nanjing), the Fan Memorial Institute of Biology (1928, Peiping), and the Institute of Botany, Peiping Academy of Sciences (1929, Peiping). Since then, plant taxonomy, plant systematics, and phytogeography have advanced and prospered as scientific disciplines in China. Among the great botanists who studied at those institutes, and at others that were established over the following 100 years, was Prof. Tang (surname) Yan‐Cheng (given name) (汤彦承, abbreviated Y. C. Tang) (7 July 1926–6 August 2016). Professor Tang was a well‐known and highly respected plant taxonomist and an influential professor at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. Prof. Tang played a pivotal role in leading taxonomic/systematic research in China from the 1970s into the 1990s. He not only provided new insights into the Chinese flora, but also helped to develop Chinese botany according to what were then new cladistic methods and to train the following generations of Chinese botanists. During his career, Prof. Tang keenly promoted novel theories and taxonomic and systematic methods, and he encouraged the application of up‐to‐date experimental approaches and analytical methodologies to study Chinese plants. His research had global implications for large, widely distributed plant families and provided a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the East Asian flora (see Wang et al., 2020a and more details below). Therefore, in this special issue, we have compiled articles that reflect current advances in plant taxonomy, systematics, and phytogeography to honor the contributions of Prof. Tang. The articles herein, including reviews and original articles, represent new perspectives in systematics and evolution, and also present research that integrates multifaceted data and interdisciplinary approaches. Several articles concern plant taxa studied in depth by Prof. Tang or those that were a focus of his interest. Modern systematic biology originated in the 1960s with the cladistic methods developed and expounded by Hennig (Hennig, 1966; Funk, 2018). In the past 30 years, the discipline of systematic biology has been transformed by the use of molecular approaches and phylogenetics (Hillis et al., 1996; Soltis et al., 1998). Subsequent advancements in molecular technology, phylogenetic methodologies, and comparative methods have led to an explosion of molecular systematics and phylogeny‐based comparative studies. The results have led to a better understanding of relationships and evolution of the organisms with which we share our planet (Chase et al., 1993; San Mauro & Agorreta, 2010; Losos et al., 2013; Hinchliff et al., 2015; Soltis & Soltis, 2016; Soltis et al., 2018; Bakker et al., 2020). Moreover, recent efforts in reconstructing the tree of life, integrating methods and sharing data across disciplines, digitizing biological collections, harvesting big data from high‐throughput DNA sequencing, and development of analytical and genetic tools (Wen et al., 2015, 2017; Soltis & Soltis, 2016; Soltis et al., 2018; Leebens‐Mack et al., 2019; Bakker et al., 2020) have empowered systematic and evolutionary biology to undertake novel and integrative studies from perspectives that were previously impossible (e.g., Chanderbali et al., 2017; Ma et al., 2017a, 2017b; Ellwood et al., 2018; Hodel et al., 2018; Landis et al., 2018; Lewin et al., 2018; Lu et al., 2018; Dong et al., 2019). Plant systematics plays a pivotal role in elucidating the evolution and assembly of the Earth's flora. Among the central applications of systematics is the sustenance, use, and conservation of plant resources, especially under many threats of the Anthropocene, including the modern threat of climate change. How will species adapt to environmental changes and what are the evolutionary constraints and drivers for adaptation? These are central questions in evolutionary ecology and conservation biology. Changing climates and global warming require urgent studies to address these questions through characterizing various factors affecting the rate and capacity of plant adaptability to change. Genetic variability, population structure, and genes/traits selected for local adaptation to environmental biotic and abiotic changes/stresses in a species lay the foundation for its survival. Our knowledge of such traits in regard to forest trees and crop species is particularly important in predicting the sustainability of forests and crops under changing environments and in understanding the constraints and drivers of ecological adaptation. At present, studies that are simultaneously broad in scope and detailed at the levels of plant traits and genes are feasible. By integrating and interfacing cutting‐edge tools, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of a species and advance our knowledge regarding plant adaptation to a changing climate. In this special issue, Anderson & Song (2020) present an overview of the recent progress, gaps, and perspectives, as well as integrative approaches regarding the adaptation of plants to climate change. They evaluate the impact of climate change on selection, local adaptation, and species interactions. They also discuss the effects of gene flow and phenotypic plasticity on the way plants respond to climate change. They argue that a comprehensive understanding of eco‐evolutionary dynamics will facilitate an understanding of a plant's adaptive potential under a rapid and intense climate