This article was published in the Journal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Issue 4, 2021, entitled "Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Civilization"
MI Xiangcheng1 FENG Gang2 ZHANG Jian3 HU Yibo4 ZHU Li1 MA Ping1,5*
1 State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2 School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University
3 School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University
4 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
5 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
In the past 20 years, Biodiversity research in China has developed rapidly, and great progress has been made in the compilation and research of biodiversity books, the origin and evolution of biodiversity, the maintenance mechanism of biodiversity and its relationship with ecosystem functions and services, biodiversity threat factors and responses to global change, biodiversity and ecological security, and the construction of biodiversity research platforms.
In 2021, As one of the few major countries with particularly rich biodiversity, China will host the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which will consider and adopt the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, clarify the global biodiversity conservation targets for 2021-2030 and develop effective implementation mechanisms. At this critical time node, it is of great significance to systematically review the important research progress of biodiversity science in China in the past 20 years, and summarize the research gaps, deficiencies and future research priorities of China's biodiversity research, which is of great significance for the future development of biodiversity science in China.
In the past 20 years, from the central to the local level, investment in biodiversity research has been increased, and while improving the level of research through international cooperation, a series of biodiversity research platforms have been established, such as the China Biodiversity Monitoring and Research Network, which has greatly improved China's capacity for basic biodiversity conservation research.
The number of annual papers published by Chinese scholars in the field of biodiversity in the journal of the International SCI Index has grown rapidly from dozens around 2000 to more than 1,700 in 2019. At the same time, China is also the country with the fastest increase in contribution to natural science research, currently ranking second in the world; China's environmental and life science related research institutions are listed in the top 10 fastest growing in the world, and both disciplines are closely related to biodiversity science. The Chinese Academy of Sciences ranks first in the world in the 2020 Nature Index. The number of highly cited scholars from Chinese mainland has increased nearly twice from 113 in 2014 to 347 in 2019. It can be seen that China's biodiversity research capacity has been greatly improved, and China is expected to become a strong country in biodiversity research in the near future.
Based on the research results of biodiversity published by Chinese scholars in international high-impact journals, this paper summarizes the research progress of biodiversity science in China in the past 20 years, mainly including 6 aspects:
1. Compilation and research of biodiversity inventories, chronicles and vegetation maps;
2. Origin, evolution and geographical patterns of biodiversity;
3. Biodiversity conservation and relationship to ecosystem functions and services;
4. Threat factors to biodiversity and responses to global change;
5. Biodiversity and ecological security;
6. Construction of biodiversity research platform.
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Compilation and research of biodiversity inventories, chronicles and vegetation maps
Compilation and research of biodiversity inventories and chronicles
China has extremely rich biodiversity resources, which brings great challenges to the investigation of the family. From the 1950s to the 1960s, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has organized more than 40 comprehensive scientific investigations of natural resources in 850 colleges and universities and research institutes, with the goal of finding out the origin of China's biodiversity resources.
For example, from 1973 to 1976, the first scientific expedition to the Tibetan Plateau discovered 7 new plant genera, 300 new plant species, 20 new insect genera and 400 new insect species. Compiled by more than 80 scientific research units, 312 authors and 164 draftsmen in The Flora of China after 45 years, it is currently the world's largest and most abundant collection of huge works. The book is 80 volumes and 126 volumes, describing 31142 species of plants in 301 families and 3408 genera in China, and revised into the English version of Flora of China (49 volumes).
The Flora of Fossils of China (4 volumes) summarizes the distribution, research history and characteristics of 2248 plant fossils in China, which helps to reconstruct the phylogenetic history of the plant kingdom and promote the development of paleogeography, paleoclimate and paleoecology.
The Tree of Life of Chinese Vascular Plants includes 3114 genera and 6093 species, condensing the evolutionary history of vascular plants spanning 400 million years into a "tree of life".
The successive publications of Zoology of China (162 volumes) and Spore Flora of China (96 volumes), as well as the compilation of flora of most provinces and more than a dozen provincial zoology, have provided detailed information for the distribution of regional biodiversity.
The Atlas of Marine Life in China records more than 28,000 species of marine life in 59 gates.
About 2,000 new species are published in China every year, and since 2008, the China Biological Species List has released these updated species data year by year. As of the 2020 edition, more than 120,000 species and subspecification units have been included.
The publication of the above results shows that China has basically achieved the goal of finding out the family background of the main biological groups at the national level, thus providing basic information for further conservation and utilization of rich biodiversity resources.
In order to conserve and manage biodiversity more effectively, Chinese scholars systematically assessed the status of species threatened twice from 2004 to 2016 using the classification and criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The results show that the protection status of birds, reptiles and amphibians in China is deteriorating, while the protection status of mammals, gymnosperms and angiosperms is improving. Therefore, while maintaining existing strategies and strengths for the protection of mammals, gymnosperms and angiosperms, more robust measures are needed to protect birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Compilation and research of "Vegetation Map of China" and "Vegetation of China"
Through the efforts of more than 200 vegetation scholars in three generations, the Vegetation Atlas of China (1:1000000)" was published in 2001 and updated in 2007 as the Vegetation Map of the People's Republic of China (1:1000000) with 960 biogluta and subsominacies and 116 vegetation areas. In 2020, the "Vegetation Map of China (1:1000000)" was updated to 866 biomes and subsophytes of 12 vegetation types, and compared with the first two periods of the Chinese Vegetation Map, about 3.3 million square kilometers of vegetation types have changed, and more than 20 provincial vegetation maps have been published. Vegetation in China provides a comprehensive description of the fauna composition and distribution of the main vegetation types in China. In 2017, China Spruce Forest of China Vegetation Chronicle was first published, marking the beginning of the publication of the "Vegetation History of China" series of books. The publication of these vegetation maps and chronicles will provide background information for China's biodiversity conservation planning and action.
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Origin, evolution and biogeography of biodiversity
Origin and evolution of biodiversity
As the "cradle" of biodiversity, the origin of many biomes in China is closely related to the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its surrounding areas, the formation of the East Asian monsoon and the aridification in the western region. There is growing evidence that the prototype of the Tibetan Plateau appeared in the Cretaceous-Paleogene (about 60 million years ago) before the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, and then there was a general expansion between the Miocene and the Pliocene (25 million years ago – 5 million years ago), until the Neogene period was accompanied by continuous mountain uplift and east-west central deep valley uplift.
These geological historical events provide ecological opportunities for the diversification and speciation of many taxa. For example, geological and historical events such as the growth of the Eurasian Plate from the Tethys Sea 40 million years ago, the collision of Indian and Eurasian plates, and the closure of the Turgay Strait have all driven the diversification of hook shrimp.
With the collision of India and the Eurasian Plate, a series of terrestrial animals and flora diversification occurred on the Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent areas. For example, in the Tibet-Himalayas-Hengduan region, temperate alpine flora began to emerge during the Oligocene, which gradually diversified and accelerated to settle in neighboring areas in the early to mid-Miocene. After the Miocene, the cycle of global cooling and glacialization in the Pliocene gave birth to a new period of diversification on and around the Tibetan Plateau.
Recent studies support the Tibetan Plateau's ability to drive species diversity through a variety of mechanisms, such as exotic isolation speciation and multiplication. In recent years, Chinese scholars have proposed a "mixed-isolate-remix" speciation model, which can better explain the rapid diversification of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region. In contrast to traditional heterogeneous speciation mechanisms, this pattern first forms adaptive genes during population isolation, and then generates many new gene combinations through gene streams between populations, resulting in an exponential increase in the rate of speciation.
China is also a "museum" of biodiversity evolution. For example, through the genomic analysis of Ginkgo biloba, it is found that Ginkgo biloba has three "refuges" in the southwest, south and eastern regions of China; through the analysis of the distribution of relict plants, it is found that the southwest of China and the north of Vietnam, which have a long-term stable climate, are the "refuges" of relict plants. At the national scale, through the reconstruction and dating of the lineage relationship of angiosperms in China, combined with distribution data analysis, it was found that there were earlier differentiated taxa in the humid and sub-humid areas of eastern China, and 66% of the genera of China's fauna appeared after the Early Miocene 23 million years ago. This shows that the eastern region of China is the "museum" of the biodiversity of the entire fauna, and also the "museum" and "cradle" of woody plants; the flora of the arid and semi-arid areas of western China is mainly determined by recent diversification events and is the "cradle" of China's biodiversity.
Domestication of crops and domestic animals
China has more than 8,000 years of crop breeding history, and more than 20% of the world's crops originated in China. In addition, china has played an important role in the domestication of major crops and domesticated animals around the world. For example, after the domestication of silkworms in China, they spread along the Silk Road and bred many local varieties. The domestication of animals and plants can reveal the mechanism of rapid evolution in the process of artificial breeding, and provide a theoretical basis for further breeding of excellent varieties. For example, under the pressure of artificial selection, some highly expressed genes in the brain of domestic dogs evolve rapidly, which may be part of the molecular mechanism of behavior transformation in domestic dogs. DTH2 (number of days from sowing to panicle extraction) of rice microavailability trait gene loci may be artificially selected to adapt to long northern sunshine.
Similarly, the diploid ancestors and tetraploid ancestors of wheat crossed to form hexaploid wheat with greatly improved environmental adaptability and grain quality, and thus became the main food crop of mankind. The molecular mechanism of RNA sequencing was revealed, and it was found that the improvement of its environmental adaptability and grain quality was related to the expansion of gene families related to agronomic traits from diploid wheat.
Geographical distribution of biodiversity
Evolutionary history, topography, climate and other factors interact to jointly affect the pattern of biodiversity in China. Species diversity patterns and their multi-scale drivers have been extensively studied in China. For example, the southwest region has a high proportion of endemic birds and endemic plants, mainly derived from the relatively stable paleoclimate; tree species richness is significantly positively correlated with temperature; paleoclimate and modern climate, topographic heterogeneity and species traits jointly determine the distribution range of global terrestrial vertebrates.
The species richness of plants in China is significantly higher than that of Europe and North America, and there is a higher phylogenetic diversity, reflecting the important impact of regional evolutionary history on biodiversity patterns. In addition, studies have found that the phylogenetic diversity of gymnosperms and angiosperms in China decreases with the increase of modern climatic stress; the phylogenetic structure of terrestrial vertebrates in China is relatively concentrated, indicating that regional ecological and evolutionary factors affect the distribution of animals in China; a global study led by Chinese scholars has found that the root function diversity in the tropics is the highest, while the decline is sharp in temperate and desert biota, indicating the important impact of functional diversity on species diversity.
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Biodiversity maintenance and relationship to ecosystem functions and services
Community biodiversity conservation mechanisms
In species-rich regions, how multiple species that share similar resources coexist within local communities has been a central issue in ecology. Classical species coexistence theory holds that stable species coexistence can occur when stable interspecific niche differences are greater than differences in fitness, that is, intraspecific mutual restrictions are greater than interspecific restrictions. Therefore, due to the competition of resources within the species or the mutual spread of pests and diseases and predators between individuals of the same species, the negative interaction between individuals within the species, that is, the negative density constraint of the same species, is an important mechanism for the maintenance of biodiversity.
China has a complete climate band spectrum, which provides favorable conditions for testing the density constraint effect of tropical, subtropical and temperate forests. Experiments in subtropical and temperate forests have shown that pathogenic bacteria and leaf-eating insects can affect the coexistence of species in plant communities by adjusting the density constraint effect of seedlings of the same species. There are also studies that suggest that the negative effects of harmful fungi on isotopes may be completely counteracted by the positive effects of exogenous mycorrhizal fungi, suggesting that the interaction between harmful fungi and beneficial fungi (exophytic mycorrhizal fungi) determines the intensity of density restriction. These studies have updated our understanding of biodiversity maintenance, and multitrophic interspecific interactions or play an important role in determining community diversity.
Biodiversity and ecosystem functions
In order to understand the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions (BEF), Chinese and German scholars have cooperated in Jiangxi to establish the BEF Experimental Platform (BEF-China) with the widest diversity gradient and the largest area in the world. After nearly 10 years of research by BEF-China, it has been found that species diversity can almost double the productivity and carbon storage of plant communities, and the positive effect of productivity is enhanced over time and plant growth. Species interactions and differences in functional traits between different trophic levels in subtropical forests have led to a positive effect of diversity on productivity. Therefore, it is more reasonable to adopt a multi-species model for subtropical forest restoration.
Multiple grassland BEF control experimental platforms established in the Grassland of Inner Mongolia and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have found positive diversity-stability relationships, which may be driven by asynchronous dynamics between different components of the ecosystem. The analysis of grassland diversity and stability relationship in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia for 24 years showed that the stability of ecosystem components increased from interspecifics to functional groups to the entire ecosystem. Long-term climate change experiments on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for more than 30 years have shown that while the abundance of grass species increases with climate change, the abundance of sedge species decreases, so the community responds to climate change through changes in community structure, but does not affect the productivity of the ecosystem, indicating that the diversity of community composition mitigates the impact of climate change on productivity. At the national scale, data analysis based on 6098 forest, shrub and grassland samples showed that soil carbon stocks increased with increased species diversity and subsurface biomass. Species diversity, aboveground net primary productivity and subsurface biomass, as well as environmental factors such as precipitation and temperature, all affect soil carbon stocks.
Ecosystem services and economic and social development
Human-induced biodiversity loss alters ecosystem function and stability and weakens ecosystem services. However, in recent decades, China has done a lot of effective work in protecting ecosystem functions and improving ecosystem services. For example, in order to reduce the risk of natural disasters and maintain various ecosystem services, China invested more than 50 billion US dollars in 2000-2009 for natural forest conservation projects and plans to return farmland to forests. The evaluation of six key ecological restoration projects in China shows that the annual carbon aggregate in the project implementation area from 2001 to 2010 is estimated to be 132 tg, of which more than half comes from these projects. In addition, the value of ecosystem services provided by giant pandas and their protected areas is about 10-27 times higher than the cost of conservation.
While ecosystem services are closely linked to the long-term well-being of humanity, some strategies for improving ecosystem services may conflict with local socio-economic development. For example, the Vegetation and Primary Productivity Restoration Programme on the Loess Plateau raises water use to the upper limit of local water availability, which may threaten human demand for water. Conversely, good ecosystem service planning can lead to a win-win situation for the environment and the economy. For example, Beijing's paddy-to-dryland programme has succeeded in improving water and quality and creating economic benefits that are more than 5 times the cost.
Since ecosystem services are essential to humans, proper landscape planning should also take ecosystem services into account. For example, Shanghai has included ecosystem services in its ecological redlines, strengthening the protection of terrestrial habitats. The assessment of nature reserves in China found that nature reserves in China do not play an adequate role in the conservation of biodiversity and key ecosystem services; it is recommended to establish new categories of protected areas to comprehensively consider the impacts of biodiversity, ecosystem services and human activities. In recent years, China has also proposed a redline system for ecological protection at the national level in order to better maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services.
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Threats to biodiversity and responses to global change
Species endangered and adapted
In recent years, China has carried out many studies on the genetic diversity, endangered history and causes, survival and adaptation strategies of endangered species using genomics methods. Many endangered species have very low populations and genetic diversity, which can easily lead to the decline of these populations, highlighting the urgency of protecting the genetic diversity of endangered species. In contrast, endangered giant pandas, Tibetan antelopes, and Chinese red pandas still have a high level of genetic diversity, indicating that these populations still have good environmental adaptability. Based on these research efforts, Chinese scholars have recently proposed two new sub-disciplines of conservation biology - conservation evolutionary biology and conservation metagenomics.
Using genomic information, it is possible to understand the processes and drivers of species endangerment, allowing wildlife to be more effectively protected. For example, based on genomic data, the evolutionary history of giant pandas can be traced back 8 million years, including 2 population expansions, 2 population bottlenecks, and 2 differentiations, while climate change in the Pleistocene and recent human activities are the main drivers of fluctuations and differentiation of giant panda populations. Golden snub-nosed monkeys and Chinese red pandas exhibit historical population fluctuation patterns similar to those of giant pandas, meaning that climate change in the Pleistocene and recent human activities may affect some animals distributed in the same domain in a similar way. At the same time, the populations of the narrowly distributed Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, Yunnan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, Burmese Golden Snub-nosed Monkey and Himalayan Red Panda during the Pleistocene period continued to decline, highlighting the urgency of protecting the genetic diversity of these species. Although the population dynamics of endangered plants are similar to those of endangered mammals, the specific timing of their population expansion and contraction varies. Understanding the different impacts of climate change on species, and understanding endangerment mechanisms in conjunction with trait data, can make management strategies more effective, thereby mitigating the impacts of future climate change on species diversity.
Genome-wide research provides new perspectives to understand the mechanisms of adaptation strategies for endangered species. Species that survive changes in the historical environment often evolve adaptive strategies to meet survival challenges. For example, comparative genomics studies between giant panda and 2 red panda species have revealed genetic mechanisms of morphological and physiological convergence. Pseudogenesis of the DUOX2 gene may be the genetic mechanism of low-energy metabolism in giant pandas. In addition, the gut microbiota may also play an important role in the survival and adaptation of endangered species. Metagenomic analysis of the intestinal flora identified important bacteria and digestive enzymes that help digest cellulose and hemicellulose in the giant panda bamboo diet and the golden snub-nosed monkey leaf food. The gut microbiota also helps other species adapt to the extreme environment of the Tibetan Plateau.
Biodiversity's response to global change
Species can evolve through changes in geographic distribution, phenology, behaviour and physiological plasticity, and adaptation to cope with global change. The large latitude gradient and altitude gradient in China provide an excellent platform for studying the changes in the distribution range of species. For example, studies have shown that warming over the past century has contributed to the upward movement of alpine tree lines on the Tibetan Plateau. The response of widely distributed plant species and narrow species to human activities in China is different, that is, human activities have narrowed the distribution range of narrow species, but expanded the distribution range of widespread species.
Our plants, insects and amphibians have all undergone phenological changes over the past half century. Tree ring data show that as the climate warms, the growth season of trees on the Tibetan Plateau is prolonging, including the early start of the growth season and the delay of the end. Conversely, studies of highland meadows and grassland vegetation have shown that while warm springs advance the start of the growing season, warm winters also lead to delays in meeting low temperature demand, which ultimately leads to a delay in spring phenology.
Species can also respond to climate change through behavioral and physiological plasticity and rapid adaptive evolution. For example, even early turtle embryos can move within the eggs to accommodate the uneven distribution of heat over a small range within the eggs. This thermoregulatory behavior is also widespread in reptiles and birds. Embryos can also adjust their physiology to reduce the effects of adverse thermal conditions. In addition, the invasive marine membrane animal, the sea squirt, can quickly adapt to environmental changes through DNA methylation modifications.
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Biodiversity and ecological security
Biological invasion and genetically modified crops are two important issues of biosecurity, which have a major impact on the social, economic and biodiversity conservation of China and the world, and have become important topics in intergovernmental forums and agreements. In recent years, Chinese scholars have conducted in-depth research on the mechanism, consequences and regulation of biological invasion, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified crops.
Biological invasion
The success of alien species invasions depends on a number of aspects, including species characteristics, ecosystem characteristics and inter-species interactions. Half of the genome of the invasive plant Virgonus virtuoso is made up of long-terminal repetitive retrotransposons that derive 80% from significant expansion over the past 1 million years. The purple-stemmed Zelan has evolved to distribute more nitrogen to photosynthesis, making it more capable of growing. Human-assisted diffusion and low topographical heterogeneity both increase the rate of spread of alien reptiles and amphibians.
The adverse effects of invasive species on biodiversity in China are widespread. For example, the interfluillet rice grass has homogenized nematode communities in China's coastal wetlands. Biodiversity hotspots are more invaded by alien amphibians and reptiles than in other regions. Quantification of the risk of alien terrestrial vertebrate invasion in countries along the Belt and Road suggests that 14 hotspots may be at specific risk of biological invasion.
Effects of genetically modified crops
While genetically modified crops benefit humanity, they also pose a major threat to biodiversity. A long-term assessment (1990-2010) showed that widespread cultivation of genetically modified cotton increased the number of arthropod predators and reduced the number of aphids, while also increasing the population size of the blind bug, making it a pest of cotton and other crops.
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Construction of biodiversity research platform
Biodiversity informatics big data platform
According to the information characteristics and application needs of biodiversity and ecological security, with the support of the Strategic Leading Science and Technology Special Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Category A), Chinese scholars began to build a big data platform for biodiversity and ecological security (BioONE) in 2018. The platform organically integrates the data of existing species, paleontology and their species diversity, phylogenetic diversity, genetic diversity, ecosystem diversity and biosecurity to regional biodiversity dynamic monitoring data at home and abroad, and combines the corresponding environmental, meteorological, remote sensing, national economy and other diversified data, thus forming a PB-level big data sharing and service platform with biodiversity and ecological security information as the core and interdisciplinary integration, and has achieved 2.6 billion online data sharing. On the basis of the data sharing platform, the data and information links of data-method-models are opened up, and the analysis model and visualization technology are used to realize the functional mining and utilization of massive data resources of biodiversity. On this basis, studies have been carried out on the interpretation of the origin of turtles based on morphological anatomy big data, revealing the mystery of the evolution of specialized pollinator-pollinator-type mouth organs of Mesozoic scorpionflies, and shrinking the distribution area of species in the narrow domain due to human activities. The big data sharing and service platform provides support and services for important scientific research and applications such as the evolution of life origin, the conservation effectiveness of endangered wild animals and plants, and the implementation of the National Convention on The Conservation of Biological Diversity.
Biodiversity Monitoring Network
The China Biodiversity Monitoring and Research Network (Sino BON) and the China Biodiversity Observation Network (China-BON) monitor biodiversity changes in multiple taxa, including plants, animals and microorganisms. Sino BON includes 10 special networks (forest nets, grassland and desert nets, canopy nets, mammal nets, bird nets, amphibian and reptile nets, insect nets, soil animal nets, freshwater fish nets, soil microbial nets). Among them, the forest network has established 23 large-scale forest monitoring plots along the latitude gradient from cold temperature to the tropics; the forest canopy network has established a canopy tower crane in 8 samples of the forest network; the animal network has set up 20-150 infrared cameras according to the kilometer grid unit in 30 representative forests across the country to monitor terrestrial mammals and ground-dwelling birds; the bird network has set up 16 international monitoring points and 38 domestic monitoring points, using telemetry technology to monitor the migration of 2569 individuals of 63 species of migratory birds. China-BON includes 4 subnets (mammal net, bird net, amphibian net and butterfly net), as well as 440 monitoring points and 9000 pattern lines, covering the main ecosystem types in China.
In order to monitor the structural and functional changes of major ecosystems in China, the China Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) adopts standardized monitoring standards and data quality control systems; most of the 44 sites in CERN have accumulated data for more than 30 years, which provides a platform for the study of the dynamic change mechanism of ecosystems. The China Forest Ecosystem Research Network (CFERN) now consists of 110 sites established in 9 representative forest types, consisting mainly of 2 sample belts – the north-south sample belt in the east and the east-west sample belt along the Yangtze River in the south from sea level to the Tibetan Plateau. In order to integrate the existing monitoring platform, the Ministry of Science and Technology selected 53 observatories with a good research base and perfect monitoring equipment from the existing network to form the National Ecosystem Observation and Research Network (CNERN).
The State Forestry and Grassland Administration has established a national-scale forestry inventory system to monitor changes in forestry resources and biodiversity. In each province, a grid of 2 km×2 km to 8 km ×8 km was used for forest quality assessment, and a 1-acre sample was set up in each grid, and all plants with a chest diameter greater than 5 cm were surveyed and inventoried every 5 years. Since the seventh survey, more than 415,000 sample sites have been established across the country. From the first to the ninth inventory, the proportion of forest cover in China increased from 12.69% in 1976 to 22.96% in 2019, and the forest stock also increased from 866×109 m3 to 17.56 ×109 m3.
Biological Herbarium
As of 2016, there are more than 300 biological herbariums (museums) in China, with a collection of nearly 35 million specimens (copies), mainly concentrated in scientific research institutions, colleges and universities and natural museums, of which the 18 biological herbariums of the Chinese Academy of Sciences system have more than 18.7 million specimens, accounting for about half of China's specimen collection.
The National Specimen Resource Sharing Platform (NSII), established in 2003, is one of the platforms for scientific and technological basic conditions of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The NSII specimen includes multiple sub-platforms. NSII has now digitized 15.7 million specimens and 13 million colour photographs from 329 herbariums or museums, providing important foundational information for further study of the distribution, origin, evolution and conservation of biodiversity.
botanical garden
There are now 162 botanical gardens (arboretums) of various types in China, which cover the main climatic zones of our country and are distributed in the marginal tropical regions (32), subtropical regions (68) and temperate regions (62). The Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with the National Forestry Administration (now the State Forestry and Grassland Administration) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, jointly launched the construction of the China Botanical Garden Alliance, which now has 118 botanical garden member units. According to statistics, there are about 396 families, 3633 genera and 23340 species (including subspecific grades) of vascular plants in 162 botanical gardens in China, of which 288 families, 2911 genera and about 20,000 species are native plants in China, accounting for 91% of China's native higher plant families, 86% of the genera, and 60% of species; the number of endangered and threatened plants in ex situ conservation is about 1500 species, which is about 39% of the number of endangered and threatened plant species recorded in China; 1195 plant special park has been established. It has played an active role in the conservation of native plant diversity in China.
Germplasm repositories
The National Germplasm Resource Bank of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences cryopreserves 430,000 materials of 374 crops such as rice, wheat, corn and soybean and 877 wild relatives, ranking first in the world; the Southwest China Wildlife Germplasm Resource Bank has collected and preserved 80,105 plant seeds (belonging to 10,048 species), 55,175 DNA materials (belonging to 6,154 species), and 23,500 ex vivo materials (belonging to 2003 species). There are 53,874 animal germplasm materials (belonging to 1988 species) and 22,400 microbial germplasm resources (belonging to 2240 species).
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Prospects for future biodiversity research in China
Although significant progress has been made in biodiversity research in China, there are still few breakthrough studies on the concepts and theories of biodiversity science. To this end, we have made a number of recommendations for the reference of national biodiversity scholars.
A priority area for biodiversity research in China
Includes: 1. 2. Biodiversity data on the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas are still lacking, and there are still many issues to be explored; 2. Concerned about the impacts of human activities on the biodiversity of china's subtropical forests; 2. Strengthening research on marine biodiversity; Balance biodiversity conservation with socio-economic development.
Integration of biodiversity science and biodiversity conservation practices
As a national strategy, the specific measures for the construction of ecological civilization include delineating ecological protection redlines, establishing a protected area system with national parks as the main body, and prohibiting trade and consumption of wild animals. The Ecological Protection Red line aims to protect most species and their habitats by delineating areas that account for 1/4 of china's area. Based on the pilot exploration of 10 national parks, China proposes a protected area system with national parks as the main body. Biodiversity scientific research provides a scientific basis for the delineation of ecological protection redlines and the design and management of national parks. However, interaction among biodiversity researchers, government policy makers and actual stakeholders needs to be further strengthened.
Application of new technologies and methods in biodiversity research
Innovations in technologies such as genomics and remote sensing can further advance biodiversity science. Chinese scholars have played an important role in the new wave of international genomics research. For example, the "10,000 Bird Genome Project" and the "10,000 Fish Genome Project" led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences provide a new perspective for better understanding of genomic diversity and biodiversity evolution. Advanced remote sensing technology can monitor changes in large-scale ecosystems in real time and continuously. Although Chinese scholars have begun to grasp these new technologies and methods, cross-cutting research between different disciplines is still relatively lacking.
Further strengthen and expand international cooperation
Biodiversity issues need to be addressed through global cooperation. Over the past few decades, Chinese scholars have benefited greatly from international cooperation. However, we also need to better maintain and strengthen existing international cooperation projects (such as the digitization of plant diversity in Asia, the China-Africa Joint Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, etc.). The Belt and Road Initiative provides a rare opportunity for international cooperation in biodiversity research. At the same time, many of China's international biodiversity hotspots are located in areas bordering other countries, so cross-regional cooperation and research is an important way to strengthen biodiversity conservation. Chinese scholars should also play a more active role in biodiversity international organizations and make greater contributions to the completion of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Mi Xiangcheng is an associate researcher at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Editorial Board member of Biodiversity Journal of Applied Ecology and Annual of Botany-Plants. His main research area is community ecology.
Feng Gang is an associate professor at the School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University. Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee Organization Department "Grassland Talents". In recent years, a series of work has been carried out on the core issue of biodiversity distribution patterns and their multi-scale maintenance mechanisms. He has published more than 20 SCI papers as the first author and corresponding author, including important journals such as National Science Review, Science Bulletin, Global Ecology and Biogeography. Presided over 3 provincial and ministerial projects or projects
Ma Ping, Researcher of Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the Biodiversity Commission of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the IUCN Membership Committee for Asia. Editor-in-Chief of Biodiversity, Associate Editor of Science in China: Life Sciences and Forest Resource Management, and Editorial Board Member of National Science Review, BMC Ecology, and other journals. He was the director of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the vice chairman of the Botanical Society of China. He presided over the construction of biodiversity science research platforms such as the China Forest Biodiversity Monitoring and Research Network (CForBio), the Sino-German Subtropical Forest Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function Experimental Research Platform (BEF-China), and the China National Specimen Resource Sharing Platform (NSII). Important progress has been made in biogeography research on biodiversity conservation mechanisms and conservation. He has published more than 400 academic papers, including more than 250 SCI papers, and more than 20 monographs and academic papers.
Article from: Mi Xiangcheng, Feng Gang, Zhang Jian, Hu Yibo, Zhu Li, Ma Ping. Review on the progress of biodiversity science research in China. Journal of Chinese Academy of Sciences,2021,36(4):384-398.]