Orchid conservation in China from 2000 to 2020:Achievements and perspectives

We review achievements in the conservation of orchid diversity in China over the last 21 years.We provide updated information on orchid biodiversity and suggestions for orchid conservation in China.We outline national policies of biodiversity conservation,especially of orchid conservation,which provide general guidelines for orchid conservation in China.There are now approximately 1708 known species of Orchidaceae in 181 genera in China,including five new genera and 365 new species described over the last 21 years.The assessment of risk of extinction of all 1502 known native orchid species in China in 2013 indicated that 653 species were identified as threatened,132 species were treated as data-deficient,and four species endemic to China were classified as extinct.Approximately 1100 species(ca.65%)are protected in national nature reserves,and another~66 species in provincial nature reserves.About 800 native orchid species have living collections in major botanical gardens.The pollination biology of 74 native orchid species and the genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure of 29 orchid species have been investigated at a local scale and/or across species distributions.The mycorrhizal fungal community composition has been investigated in many genera,such as Bletilla,Coelogyne,Cymbidium,Cypripedium,and Dendrobium.Approximately 292 species will be included in the list of national key protected wild plants this year.Two major tasks for near future include in situ conservation and monitoring population dynamics of endangered species.

Elephant Culture Matter for China’s Asian Elephants Conservation

Traditional anthropogenic impacts such as hunting,using as war-elephant,trading of ivory,paying tribute to the imperial court and so on,were once thought to be directly responsible for the rapid decline of Asian elephants in China.But in Yunnan Province,China,a unique human factor such as the traditional elephant culture of local ethnic minorities,is an important factor in the conservation of Asian elephants.In these areas,we investigated by means of village interviews,field surveys and data collection,the results show that the elephant culture of ethnic minorities has a great impact on people’s thoughts and behaviors,these traditional culture and belief(that mean taking elephant as the God,holding elephant as a belief,worshipping elephant and praise it)urges people to actively protect elephants and avoid more human-elephant conflicts.To enhance the public awareness of Asian elephant conservation,the Chinese Government or international environmental organizations should give higher attention and support to these elephant cultures.

Genetic diversity and structure of the endemic and endangered species Aristolochia delavayi growing along the Jinsha River

The traditional medicinal plant,and endangered species Aristolochia delavayi(Aristolochiaceae)is an endemic species in China and occurs in the warm and dry areas along the Jinsha river.It is also a specific host of the larvae of Byasa daemonius,a vulnerable butterfly.In this study,15 pairs of polymorphic microsatellite primers of A.delavayi were designed and screened based on the Simple Sequence Repeats(SSR)loci found by using the results of genome skimming.Based on these 15 SSR markers,the genetic diversity and structure of 193 individuals from ten natural populations were analyzed in detail.In comparison to other endemic and endangered plants in the region,the population of A.delavayi possess a relatively high genetic diversity(He=0.550,I=1.112).AMOVA analysis showed that 68.4%of the total genetic diversity was within populations and 31.6%of the variation occurred among populations.There was a significant genetic differentiation among natural populations of A.delavayi detectable,with low gene flow(Nm=0.591).This might be attributed to geographical barriers and limited seed dispersal.To test the isolation by distance(IBD),we performed Mantel test,which showed a significant correlation between the geographic and genetic distances.In order to cope with the possible biases caused by IBD,we additionally performed Bayesian genetic cluster analyses and principal coordinate analysis(PCoA).The final cluster analysis revealed three groups with distinct geographical distribution.Habitat fragmentation and limited gene flow between these populations may be the main reasons for the current genetic structure.For conservation of this species,we suggest to divide its populations into three protection management units,with subsequent focus on the Yongsheng and Luquan populations which experienced a genetic bottleneck event in the past.

Global climate change is confounding species conservation strategies

Most organisms face similar problems with respect to their conservation in the face of global climate change.Here,we examine probable effects of climate change on the hyperdiverse plant family Orchidaceae.In the 20th century,the major concerns for orchid conservation revolved around unsustainable harvest for the orchid trade and,more importantly,land conversion from natural ecosystems to those unable to support wild orchid pop­ulations.Land conversion included logging,fire regimes and forest conversions to agricultural systems.Al­though those forms of degradation continue,an additional suite of threats has emerged,fueled by global cli­mate change.Global climate change involves more than responses of orchid populations to increases in ambient temperature.Increasing temperature induces secondary effects that can be more significant than simple chang­es in temperature.Among these new threats are extended and prolonged fire seasons,rising sea levels,increases in cyclonic storms,seasonal climate shifts,changes in orthographic wind dew point and increased drought.The long-term outlook for orchid biodiversity in the wild is dismal,as it is for many animal groups,and we need to start rethinking strategies for conservation in a rapidly changing world.

Do endemic species always have a low competitive ability? A test for two Mediterranean plant species under controlled conditions

Aims Many observations concerning biological and ecological differentiation between narrow endemic and widespread congeneric plant species suggest that narrow endemic species are constrained to colonize marginal habitats because of a low tolerance to competition.Despite this topic being an important issue both for understanding evolutionary processes leading to endemism and for conservation purposes,few studies have been performed to compare competitive abilities between endemic and widespread species.Here,we present two independent experiments performed under controlled conditions using two different pairs of endemic and widespread congeneric species:Centaurea corymbosa/Centaurea maculosa and Arenaria provincialis/Arenaria serpyllifolia,both endemic species occurring in rocky calcareous habitats.Methods Mature seeds of C.corymbosa and C.maculosa were sown in pots containing ramets of the common grass,Brachypodium retusum.Pots were sorted in three treatments according to grass cover(low,intermediate and high).A control treatment(without competition)was also used.Germination,seedling survival and rosette growth were followed.For the comparisons between A.provincialis and A.serpyllifolia,seeds from natural populations were first sown without a competitor.One week after germination,healthy seedlings were transplanted in pots without Brachypodium seedling(control)or containing two Brachypodium seedlings(low competition)or four seedlings(high competition).We checked the number of capsules per individual,and we harvested the biomass after capsule maturation.Important Findings Despite differences in the protocol design,results are congruent,and in both cases,endemic species are highly affected by the presence of a competitor,as are the widespread species,although we did not detect any differences between species for response to competition.The results are discussed in relation to processes leading to endemism,suggesting that the specialist model is more likely for both the study species.The present study also contributes to guidelines for the conservation of rare species in relation to landscape modification in the Mediterranean area.

The role of the Frontiers of Knowledge Awards in identifying the global leaders in ecological research

Introduction:This paper outlines the origins and rationale of the Frontiers of Knowledge Awards,a new family of international prizes created in 2008 by the BBVA Foundation of Spain.The aim of these awards is to recognize world-class contributions in a range of scientific,technological,and artistic areas which address the central challenges of the twenty-first century.Their key distinguishing feature is the fact that they have incorporated amongst their categories the two fundamental fields of contemporary environmental research:Ecology and Conservation Biology and Climate Change.Outcomes:By documenting the winners of the Frontiers of Knowledge Awards in these two areas,as well as the reasons for which they received this recognition during their previous nine editions,we show how these prizes have helped to identify some of the leading international figures in environmental science,such as Edward O.Wilson,Daniel H.Hanzen,Jane Lubchenco,and Ilkka Hanski.Conclusion:In conclusion,we suggest that this initiative contributes to the public salience of the global ecological problems which threaten the future of our species.At the same time,the Frontiers of Knowledge Awards serve to highlight the fundamental importance of the pioneering scientists whose research can provide the only reliable basis on which globalpolicy makers must make informed decisions to successfully confront the environmental challenges of our time.

Degradation of Cymodocea nodosa(Ucria)Ascherson meadow at Las Canteras Beach(Gran Canaria,Canary Islands,Atlantic Ocean)

Objective:To monitor the distribution of Cymodocea nodosa(Ucria)Ascherson in Las Canteras Beach(Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,Spain),comparing the status in 2005 with the distribution observed in 1985 and 1995.Methods:Field observations by selfcontained underwater breathing apparatus diving records and cartographic report.Results:The seagrass meadow originally distributed between the beach and a bar of volcanic rocks,which sheltered it from the strong north-east winds and swells.Since 1985 a gradual reduction of its extent has been observed and more than 80%of the original canopy disappeared in twenty years time,mostly due to the anthropogenic impact and modification of the sedimentary dynamics of the beach.Conclusions:The degradation of this seagrass meadow determinates the loss of the only meadow in the north of the island of Gran Canaria and the absence of a management plan for its conservation.