To investigate the historical continuity of grassy biomes in southwest China, we examined the biogeographies and evolutionary histories of two widespread and dominant C₄ grasses, Themeda triandra and Heteropogon contortus, in Yunnan and southern Sichuan provinces, using chloroplast DNA markers in combination with climate data.

By using chloroplast DNA markers, one shared cpDNA region (psbI-psbD intergenic spacer, IGS) and another region that was different between the species (ndhF-rpl32 IGS region for T. triandra and rpoC2 region for H. contortus).