Herbarium Collection Biases in Subtropical Mountains in Jiangxi, China Over the Past Century

ABSTRACT Herbarium collections are invaluable for understanding spatial distribution patterns and informing conservation management of biodiversity. However, herbarium collections of plant species in subtropical mountains have received limited attention. This study focuses on herbarium collections from plant species in nine subtropical mountains in China, aiming to identify patterns and drivers of collection bias, including geographic distribution, temporal trends, taxonomic focus, and collector contributions. Our results revealed that mountains in the northwest, for example, Mt. Lushan (LS) and Mt. Wugong (WG) exhibited higher herbarium collection density. However, mountains in the south, including Mt. Jiulian (JL) and Mt. Qiyun (QY), showed lower sampling efforts. Temporal distribution analysis elucidated historical consistencies and biases in herbarium collections, with collection peaks occurring during 1958–1959 and 1963–1965. Additionally, we found that the top 10% of collectors contributed more than half of the specimens. This research provides a comprehensive understanding of collection biases in subtropical mountains and proposes effective strategies for biodiversity conservation, such as strengthening collections in regions with high plant diversity, conducting targeted surveys in under‐sampled areas, and promoting collaboration among diverse collectors.