No abstract

Lowland tropical forests once covered a large fraction of tropical southern China, but currently have an extent of ca 633,800 ha, mostly in Xishuangbanna of southern Yunnan. The Xishuangbanna region has a typical monsoon climate with a mean annual temperature ranging between 15.1 • C and 21.7 • C, and precipitation between 1200 and 2500 mm. There is a pronounced dry season between November and April with frequent occurrence of heavy fog. Rainfall during the wet season between May and October accounts for over 80 percent of total annual precipitation. Water deposition from fog accounts for over one-third of total water input during the dry season in the forests, suggesting an important role that fog may play in pushing up the northern limit of tropical rain forest in Southeast Asia.

Highlights d Sca1 + vascular stem cells produce new smooth muscle cells after severe vessel injury d A Sca1 + PDGFRa + subpopulation contributes to vascular repair and regeneration d Sca1-derived smooth muscle cells expand more than preexisting smooth muscle d YAP is required for Sca1-derived smooth muscle cell expansion during vascular repair