Many people have seen rhododendrons roaming the mountains, but they may not have heard of rhododendrons. Recently, Chinese scientists have rediscovered the cuckoo during a field expedition. The significance of this major discovery is that it rewrites the history of the "wild extinction" of the cuckoo. Since only one strain has been found in the wild so far, scientists have called for "rescue protection."
How was the Cuckoo cuckoo discovered? What is the research value of being re-found after being declared extinct in the wild?
Trace the origins of the cuckoo
This rhododendron was discovered by a research team at the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the mountains of Muli County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Coincidentally, the day the cuckoo was discovered, May 22, coincided with World Biodiversity Day.
Cuckoo. Image source: Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The origin of the cuckoo dates back 91 years. In September 1929, the American botanist Locke collected a rhododendron specimen in the Kulu Mountains in southwestern Sichuan and brought it back to the United States, but it was not named. It was not until 1953 that the specimen was turned over and defined as a variant of the sticky cuckoo. In 1978, American botanists re-examined the specimen and identified it as a new species. In accordance with the principles of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the specimen was named "Rhododendron Kuru".
Later, Chinese scientists did not see the wild live cuckoo during the expedition, so it is believed that this rhododendron has become extinct in the wild. In 2013, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly released the "China Biodiversity Red List of Higher Plants Volume" and the 2017 "China Higher Plants Red List", the Kuru rhododendron was officially assessed as extinct in the wild. Today, the China Digital Herbarium only has a record of a 2008 specimen of the "suspected dry rhododendron" collected from LuojiShan, Puge County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
In May this year, a team of researchers from the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted an investigation on Luoji Mountain in Puge County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, and the Kulu Mountain in Muli County, where the species model specimen was collected. Scientists have found that the suspected species of Luoji Mountain and the Kuru Rhododendron are at least obviously different in terms of coat, flower color, and flower shape, so it is judged that the suspected species is not Kuru Rhododendron.
According to public reports, the current map of Kulu Mountain no longer exists, and the research team has found relevant records of key place names in a classic book after consulting relevant materials. Following this clue, the expedition accidentally found a rhododendron with a blooming flower when it was about to go down the mountain. After comparison with the type specimen and checking with the Flora of China, it was confirmed to be a rhododendron.
Species extinctions are affected by environmental influences
Why have plants declared extinct have been rediscovered? How can we tell that the rhododendron we see today is the rhododendron kudzu?
Shi Jun, a member of the Science Squirrel Society and a doctor of botany, told reporters that it is not a simple task to determine the extinction of a plant. Because there are many restrictions in the investigation of wild plants, such as the survey area and the survey time may have an impact on the results, "the reason is very simple, the flowers of the plant are not often present, and if the appropriate flowering plants are not encountered, it is easy to affect the survey results." ”
Scientists at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, compared the specimen and finally confirmed that it was a rhododendron. Shi Jun introduced that comparing benchmarks is the basic method of plant taxonomy research. Of course, the introduction of molecular biology methods such as molecular markers has made this judgment more and more accurate and perfect. In future surveys, the impact of time on the results will also become less and less.
In the flower world, rhododendrons are a large family, with more than 1,000 species of plants in the entire rhododendron genus, spreading throughout Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. There are more than 560 species of rhododendrons in China, which have long been hidden in deep mountains and mountains. Many botanists believe that the unexpected harvest of rhododendron by Chinese scientists is mainly because it is now in full bloom, and the red rhododendron is particularly conspicuous in the bushes, thus increasing the probability of being found.
How did the cuckoo go extinct, and is it related to human activities?
Shi Jun said that the reasons for the extinction of species are mainly in two categories, one is direct destruction, and the other is environmental impact. Direct damage is mainly manifested in some species with high economic value, such as passenger pigeons in animals and various orchids in plants, all because of their economic value, leading to over-hunting and mining, and eventually leading to endangered or even extinct species.
He believes that many other animals and plants are victims of anthropogenic environmental changes. Habitat loss, for example. Many plants not only need sunlight, soil and water, but also rely on the ecological environment around them, such as fungi in the soil, tall trees with proper shade, and animals that spread pollen and insects. If these environments change, or are artificially destroyed, they can also affect the normal reproduction of organisms.
Global warming can also have an important impact on the development of species. For plants, global warming brings temperature changes and redistribution of water, which are not conducive to plant reproduction; coupled with extreme weather, it is even more devastating.
"Star" plants promote endangered species conservation
According to incomplete statistics, after entering the 20th century, an average of one species went extinct every day; today, 75 species go extinct every day in the world, and 3 species go extinct every hour.
In the plant family, like the cuckoo, haifeng is also a "lost and recovered" plant. It is produced in most provinces and regions of China, and Haifeng jingcai has disappeared for more than a hundred years since it was discovered and named in Guangdong in the early 2000s, until it was rediscovered in 2013, and it is a particularly rare plant. Haifeng cauliflower has a long flowering period, the leaves are floating, the flowers stand out of the water, the colors are bright, and can be used as a landscaping plant. Its re-discovery is of great significance for the study of aquatic plant diversity in China and the world's sissy plant system.
In China, there are still many endangered or even near-extinction plants that need to be protected. For example, Shanglu in western Hubei, which is a newly discovered plant in Hubei, although it is a newly confirmed species in 2018, it is currently found to be less than 50 plants, which is a critically endangered plant. Putuo goose ear maple, this is a rare birch family of plants, found only in the Zhoushan Islands of Zhejiang Province, Putuo Island Buddha Peak Mountain, in the past only one wild individual, is a nearly extinct plant, has now bred a large number of Putuo goose ear tree saplings.
Putuo goose ear maple. Source: Baidu Encyclopedia
Another example is the Baishanzu fir. Fir is a small family of gymnosperms, Baishanzu fir is an ancient relict plant unique to China, the distribution range is extremely narrow, currently only found in Qingyuan County, Zhejiang Province, is a rare species. Cliff cypress is an ancient plant species that was declared extinct in the 1990s due to its scarcity and undiscovered, and although it was found intermittently, it still belongs to the category of near extinction, with very few in the wild and has not yet been cultivated by artificial introduction.
Botanists believe that a species is a set of genes, and if a species is lost, biodiversity is affected. "The cuckoo is the flagship species, and as a star plant, it attracts everyone's attention and can greatly promote the practical action of conservation." In Shi Jun's view, the "return" of the kuru rhododendron is conducive to maintaining biodiversity.
Ecosystems are buildings made of bricks
Some experts also suggested that it is necessary to further adopt a "carpet" systematic survey of the area where the cuckoo rhododendron is found, in order to thoroughly find out the resource background of the species, and at the same time actively carry out "rescue protection" and systematic research work, so that the cuckoo can shine again.
When it comes to conservation work, many people have questions: when protecting endangered species, it consumes a lot of social resources, what value can it bring to us? In this regard, Shi Jun said that the simplest and most direct value is the practicality of the species itself. That is to say, this species has important edible, medicinal and ornamental value for humans, or a potential germplasm resource, which is of great value to breeding.
Of course, there are many species that do not have visible use value, or have little use value, can not eat, drink, can not use, but this does not mean that the protection of these species is meaningless. Shi Jun said that the living creatures on the earth are the result of "natural selection". If the environment changes drastically, it will not only affect the wildlife, but also affect all aspects of human life. "Plants like the rhododendron have become indicator plants, and they can live well, which means that the environment is relatively stable, and humans are in a stable living space, which is the important significance of protection."
In the living world, every species is not isolated, and every plant is associated with multiple animals, and every animal is also associated with multiple plants. In the botanist's view, to protect wild animals and plants is to protect human beings themselves. "The whole ecosystem is not a pile of scattered blocks, but a building made up of blocks, and randomly pulling out blocks may bring about the dumping of the building." Shi Jun said.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Gong Danyun Text Editor: Peng Wei