Research Progress on Manglietia ventii,A Wild Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations

Manglietia ventii is a wild plant species with extremely small populations endemic to Yunnan,mainly distributed in southeast Yunnan.Due to the continuous deterioration of natural habitats,excessive felling and utilization of human beings,and the decline of breeding ability,the number of individuals in the population has decreased significantly.Through field investigation and literature review,the research status of M.ventii in systematics,conservation ecology,reproductive biology,genetic diversity,endangered mechanism and resource protection at home and abroad are systematically reviewed.And the future research direction is prospected.It is necessary to strengthen the research on the basic characteristics of M.ventii,explore the transmission route of M.ventii and deepen the development and utilization of resources,in order to provide a theoretical support for the protection and sustainable utilization of germplasm resources of M.ventii,and provide a reference for the protection of other wild plant species with extremely small populations.

Study on Resource Status and Protection Countermeasures of Wild Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations(PSESP)in Xinjiang

In recent years,the protection of PSESP has gradually become a hot issue in biodiversity research.Through the investigation and analysis of PSESP in Xinjiang,it is shown that:①there are 75 species of PSESP in Xinjiang,including 22 species of trees,18 species of shrubs and 35 species of herbs.The habitats are mainly in extremely cold,extremely dry or extremely narrow conditions such as snow line,desert,mountain,wetland and so on.②53 species(70.67%)are listed as national or autonomous region protected plants,and 22 species of PSESP are not listed in the protection;there are 70 species of PSESP listed in the red list,accounting for 93.33%.③The PSESP in Xinjiang are mainly distributed in the Altai Mountains,western Tianshan Mountains,Pamir Plateau and Karakoram Mountains;they are distributed in all kinds of nature reserves,forest parks,wetland parks and other natural ecological protection areas in Xinjiang.Ammopiptanthus nanus(M.Pop.)Cheng F.,Cistanche tubulosa(Schenk)Wight,Calligonum roborovskii A.Los.and Prunus cerasifera Ehrhart have not been found in the literature,indicating that they are distributed in protected areas.In order to provide a theoretical basis for the conservation of biodiversity in Xinjiang,this paper puts forward some suggestions on the protection of PSESP.

The spatial distribution of threats to plant species with extremely small populations

Many biological conservationists take actions to conserve plant species with extremely small populations （PSESP） in China; however, there have been few studies on the spatial distribution of threats to PSESP. Hence, we selected distribution data of PSESP and made a map of the spatial distribution of threats to PSESP in China. First, we used the weight assignment method to evaluate the threat risk to PSESP at both country and county scales. Second, we used a geographic information system to map the spatial distribution of threats to PSESP, and explored the threat factors based on linear regression analysis. Finally, we suggested some effective conservation options. We found that the PSESP with high values of protection, such as the plants with high scientific research values and ornamental plants, were threatened by over-exploitation and utilization, habitat fragmentation, and a small sized wild population in broad-leaved forests and bush fallows. We also identified some risk hotspots for PSESP in China. Regions with low elevation should be given priority for ex- and in-situ conservation. Moreover, climate change should be considered for conservation of PSESP. To avoid intensive over-exploitation or utilization and habitat fragmentation, in-situ conservation should be practiced in regions with high temperatures and low temperature seasonality, particularly in the high risk hotspots for PSESP that we proposed. Ex-situ conservation should be applied in these same regions, and over-exploitation and utilization of natural resources should be prevented. It is our goal to apply the concept of PSESP to the global scale in the future.