Watch the last "home" of rare plants

The latest issue of PhytoKeys, an international journal of plant taxonomy, focuses on new discoveries of plant diversity in China under the title "Discovering Plant Diversity in China's Biodiversity Hotspots" and its role in China's plant diversity and specificity. The album features 18 articles describing 23 new species.
"Through extensive cooperation with domestic research institutes and university botanists in plant classification, investigation and protection, we have organized a special issue on the theme of 'Discovering Plant Diversity in China's Biodiversity Hotspots', which aims to introduce the latest findings of Chinese botanists and promote plant diversity survey and conservation research in China and neighboring countries," said Li De baht, a researcher at the Kunming Plant Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in a summary of the special issue. In1988, Norman Myers, a British ecologist, came up with the concept of biodiversity hotspots. In addition to taking into account the geological history of the area and the natural nature of the biome, the delimitation of hot spots requires two indicators: at least 1,500 endetic plants;
" biodiversity hotspot is the world's most biodiversity-rich region, but also the most threatened areas of biodiversity. Cai Jie, Ph.D., of the Kunming Institute of Plant Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the China Science Journal that in fact, there are many hot spots that far exceed its target, such as at least 4,000 endeuring plants in the mountains of southwestern China;
is experiencing the "sixth mass extinction" in Earth's history, guided by humans themselves, following the fifth mass extinction represented by the dinosaur extinction event. With limited time, human, material and financial resources, comprehensive protection of all regions and species worldwide is not possible. The delimitation of hot spots is conducive to giving priority to the protection of biodiversity.
As co-editor of the special issue, Yu Wenbin, Ph.D., Biodiversity Research Group of Xishuangbina Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, invited researchers such as the Integrated Conservation Center and the Fern Research Group of the Department of Gardening and Horticulture to contribute 7 research papers in the special issue, covering 9 new species. "Hot spots are the last habitat for endeth and rare species, and if lost, the species faces extinction." Yu Wenbin said.
"Thus, hot spots, due to their rich species diversity and disappearing native environment, may have become the last 'home' of some species and are priority areas that must be investigated, studied and protected. Li De baht stressed.
, there are currently 36 global biodiversity hotspots. There are four biodiversity hotspots in China' territory, namely the eastern part of the mountains of Central Asia, including Tianshan in Xinjiang, the mountains bordering China-Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan;
preliminary estimates, the distribution of four biodiversity hot spots in China should be no less than 25,000 species of plants, accounting for about three-quarters of the total in China.
more than 1,000 new species of plants have been found in China in the past six years, with 73% of the species coming from hot spots. The investigation and research of plants in hot spots is the basis of understanding China's biodiversity and can further promote the protection of plant diversity in China. China accounts for 1/10 of the world's plant species, and biodiversity research in China is an essential part of global biodiversity research. Li De baht said.this special issue reported a total of 23 new plant species, 20 of which are from the above four hot spots. On the one hand, these results enrich the information of plant diversity in China and provide the basic information for the subsequent protection and utilization of some of these plant groups. On the other hand, the results of the study have also attracted the attention of international counterparts.
special issue reported that the bamboo peach chandelier flower belongs to a new species. Wu Zhikun, Ph.D., of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that in August 2015, they found a strange chandelier plant during a biodiversity survey in northwest China. "This plant is very different in form from all Chinese-made chandelier plants."
chandelier plants are mainly found in Africa and the Indian subse continent, some of which are famous for their meaty flowers, and this new species is found only in the Jinsha River Valley on the Yunnan-Sichuan border. "The discovery of the 'Golden Sands Chandelier Flower' shows once again that some tropical plant species in China are closely related to their 'relatives' in Africa." Wu Zhikun believes that this is of great significance in biometrics to study the plant sources in the valley area of southwest China.
When the international chandelier flower expert reviewed the draft, he was very excited about the discovery of such a new species in China, very interested in the relationship between Chinese-made chandelier flowers and African and Indian species, and hoped to carry out in-depth cooperative research.
hot spots are the key areas that need to be investigated and protected as a priority, but the "non-hot spots" outside the hot spots are also of great value. Three new species in the special issue were found outside the hot spots. For example, China's Sichuan East-Oxi region is not a hot spot, but still has a large number of special plants, but also water fir, silver fir, Ginkgo and other "living fossil" plants natural distribution center. "We analyzed new species of domestic plants reported between 2013 and 2018 and found that about 27 percent of new plant species were located outside of hot spots, and the findings in 'non-hot spots' could still contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of China's biodiversity." Li De baht said.
, according to Yu Wenbin, although the new plant species reported in this special issue use traditional survey methods in field surveys, the use of new software and new technologies has greatly improved efficiency. "For example
biotracks mobile app, developed by the Kunming Plant Research Institute, helps researchers quickly record information collected in the wild." The application of molecular biology technology also provides evidence on nucleotide sequence differences in addition to morphological comparison for the discovery of new plant species. "Incorporating molecular technology into plant taxonomy makes the discovery of new plant species even more compelling." Mr Yu said. more than years of hot spot research have made the Li De baht team aware of the need to help protected areas build their capacity to "build their interest in biodiversity research and achieve 'blood-making functions'".
recent years, the Li De baht team has planned a number of joint projects to drive local protected areas to form their own professional teams. "In recent years, the state has attached great importance to the training and capacity-building of professional and technical personnel in protected areas, and some technical personnel working on the front line of protected areas have gradually become local experts. Many protected areas now welcome experts not only to conduct surveys, but also to the front-line technicians who are no longer just passers-by and responsible for some logistical support, but are further involved in the front lines of biodiversity surveys and research. There
species in the special issue, and the first discoverers were local technicians working on the front lines of protected areas and forest and grass departments.
Although artificial intelligence and various plant recognition software have appeared in large numbers in recent years, there is a strong momentum to replace professional taxonomists, but due to the diversity and complexity of plants, it has not yet been able to obtain reliable and satisfactory classification through machine learning.
" classic classification talent shrinking is not a special phenomenon in China, is a global problem. Li De baht suggests that although the relevant national foundations are now tilting towards classical classification projects, the impact of "mainstream scientific research" (with high-impact journal papers as the main output target) on project funding and personal development will continue.
addition, the training of classical classification talents takes time, I hope that the policy should not set strict "on time to hand in the paper", "so that young scholars engaged in classical classification can better precipitate and concentrate on research." Li De baht called.
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