中国植物园保护稀有濒危植物的现状和若干对策

针对中国植物园稀有濒危植物的保护现状和存在问题进行分析，重点讨论了稀有濒危植物在植物园迁地保护的有效性问题，涉及稀有濒危植物在植物园迁地保护的生长和适应问题、稀有濒危植物在植物园重复栽培问题、稀有濒危植物在植物园迁地保护的有效种群大小问题、科学记录系统和监测中心的建立问题。就稀有濒危植物在植物园迁地保护的可持续发展提出了若干对策与建议：以植物园为基础形成保护的网络系统；加强稀有濒危植物迁地保护规划并突出重点；加强科学记录系统和监测中心的建立；多方筹措资金，加强支持强度；加强人才培训与学术交流。     

中国特有植物猪血木的濒危原因及保护对策

猪血木(Euryodendron excelsum H.T.Chang)为中国特有的山茶科单型属猪血木属的珍稀濒危植物,现仅分布于广东省阳春县八甲镇地区,且仅残存一个居群,居群内个体数量仅100余株,该物种已被列为国家二级保护植物。物种濒危原因分析是生物多样性保护的关键环节,文章从猪血木的地理分布、生活史特性、种群分布现状及生态环境因素影响等方面分析了该物种的濒危现状,猪血木种群地理分布的局限性限制了其空间拓展;种子萌发和幼苗生长对生境要求特殊和种群现状不利于其更新和发展,人为干扰对猪血木影响严重。其濒危的主要原因是人为因素引起的生境破碎化和过度砍伐所导致的个体数量下降,文章认为现存种群和生境的保护是濒危物种保护的最有效手段,针对猪血木的濒危现状和原因,提出了就地保护,促进自然种群的繁衍更新,建立猪血木繁育基地进行迁地保护和回归引种的保护策略,以期为猪血木的保护和种群恢复提供科学的理论指导,也为中国珍稀濒危物种和生物多样性的保护提供基础资料。     

珍稀濒危植物评价分级专家系统研究

开列珍稀濒危植物的清单并划分其保护序列，是生物多样性保护的一项最基本的工作。本文通过对珍稀濒危植物评价分级指标的研究，以评价指标体系为基础，并引入专家系统方法，建立了珍稀濒危植物评价分级专家系统。该系统模拟人类专家的思维过程，将有助于把珍稀濒危植物优先保护级别的划分，由定性划分提高到定量定性相结合的水平。     

珍稀濒危动植物资源资产价值核算体系研究

珍稀濒危动植物资源是一项重要的自然资源资产类型,具有重要的科研、经济、观赏、生态等价值。就目前的管理实践来看,中国长期存在着珍稀濒危动植物资源保护和资源利用之间关系不明确和资源价值难以科学评估等问题。同时,作为一项重要自然资源资产账户,珍稀濒危物种尚未开展价值核算技术研究,给资产负债表填报及领导干部自然资源资产离任审计工作带来极大困难。文章首先在分析珍稀濒危物种质量评价体系现状资料基础上,构建了包括濒危程度、遗传状况、生长繁殖状况、物种价值4类代表性指标的质量评价体系;其次,在分析比较多种价值核算方法的基础上,依照国家发布的野生动物及其产品价格认定相关规则和标准,采用保护性支出法探寻珍稀濒危物种质量与价值之间的关系,建立了珍稀濒危物种资产实物量价值核算模型,从而构建形成珍稀濒危物种资源实物量价值核算体系。该研究创新性地将珍稀濒危物种资源质量与价格关系作为核算模型构建的出发点,以此突破资源数量决定资源价值的局限,将资源质量有效地反映到资源价值量中,从而更为系统、规范地与自然资源资产负债表体系相衔接。该研究可为自然资源资产负债表价值量填报及领导干部自然资源资产离任审计工作提供指导,也可为珍稀濒危动植物保护和管理提供技术支撑。     

中国植物园保护稀有濒危植物的现状和若干对策

针对中国植物园稀有濒危植物的保护现状和存在问题进行分析,重点讨论了稀有濒危植物在植物园迁地保护的有效性问题,涉及稀有濒危植物在植物园迁地保护的生长和适应问题、稀有濒危植物在植物园重复栽培问题、稀有濒危植物在植物园迁地保护的有效种群大小问题、科学记录系统和监测中心的建立问题。就稀有濒危植物在植物园迁地保护的可持续发展提出了若干对策与建议:以植物园为基础形成保护的网络系统;加强稀有濒危植物迁地保护规划并突出重点;加强科学记录系统和监测中心的建立;多方筹措资金,加强支持强度;加强人才培训与学术交流。     

通过合理利用促进珍稀濒危植物保护

文章分别以银杏(Ginkgo biloba)、杜仲(Eucommia ulmoides)、水杉(Metasequoia glyptostroboides)、厚朴(Magnolia officinalis)、红豆杉(Taxus wallichiana)等珍稀濒危物种为例,从正反两方面阐述了采用合理利用手段能对珍稀濒危物种的保护起直接作用.提出应该改变人们竭泽而渔的消费观念;加强珍稀濒危物种的育种与栽培研究,提高产业化程度;加强"致死性"利用物种的替代性研究,减少对野生资源的毁灭性利用;加强立法执法,规范市场;注重产业化过程中的知识产权保护与国家资源流失问题等多个方面着手开展工作,最终达到实现利用与保护的和谐统一.     

大巴山国家地质公园珍稀濒危植物资源

珍稀濒危植物是生物多样性和生态系统的重要组成部分,考察研究特定地区的珍稀濒危植物对于区域生物多样性保护、生态环境质量评估及区域生态恢复都具有重要的意义。采用查阅资料、走访和路线踏勘结合植物群落样方调查等方法研究了四川大巴山国家地质公园的珍稀濒危植物种类组成和分布状况,并参照《中国种子植物区系》中划分的属的分布区类型,统计了珍稀濒危植物属的分布区类型及其在同类分布区中的占比,并探讨了该公园珍稀濒危植物的区系特征。结果表明,大巴山国家地质公园有珍稀濒危维管植物67种,隶属36科56属。被《国家重点保护野生植物名录》收录48种,其中Ⅰ级重点保护野生植物5种,Ⅱ级43种;被《中国植物红皮书》(第一批)收录的种类共45种,包括渐危种15种、濒危种7种及稀有物种14种,另有《中国植物红皮书》(第二批)8种。在这67种植物中,崖柏(Thuja sutchuensis)被列为世界自然保护联盟(International Union for Conservation of Nature,IUCN)红色植物名录的极危物种,另有濒危种6种,易危种7种,还有11种为近危或无危种。珍稀濒危植物区系成分复杂多样,共有10种分布区类型,属的分布区以温带成分为主,共41属,是热带成分的3倍之多。起源古老的孑遗物种丰富,且中国特有成分占了非常大的比例,以单型属和寡型属为主,单型属11属,寡种属7属,二者占总属数的32.1%。这与该公园古老的地质构造和奇特的地形地貌密切相关,古老的地质构造为珍稀植物提供了避难所,复杂奇特的地形地貌也为特有物种提供了生存环境。     

黔西北黄杉群落物种多样性的海拔梯度格局

研究海拔高度对黄杉群落物种多样性的影响,为珍稀濒危植物黄杉的保育和喀斯特山地生物多样性的保护提供科学依据。采用样地法调查不同海拔梯度黄杉群落的物种组成,分析其区系特征,研究黄杉群落物种多样性的海拔梯度格局和维持机制。样地内共记录种子植物50科95属124种,群落内植物属的地理成分复杂、多样,具有明显的温带性质;随着海拔的增加,黄杉群落灌木层和草本层的物种丰富度指数S、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数H、Simpson优势度指数D和Pielou均匀度指数J均呈单峰格局变化趋势,且在不同海拔上存在显著差异(P0.05),但灌木层物种的Pielou均匀度指数不显著(P≥0.05);相邻海拔间的β多样性指数变化趋势不同,灌木层物种的S?renson指数呈双峰曲线,草本层物种的S?renson指数呈单峰曲线,灌木层和草本层的Cody指数均呈单峰曲线;随着海拔高差的增加,黄杉群落草本层物种的S?renson指数逐渐减小,其它均无明显变化规律。整体来看,相对海拔导致的水热条件差异是影响喀斯特山地物种多样性垂直分布格局的主要因素,其中,中海拔地带黄杉群落的物种多样性最高,这对黄杉种质资源的保护和维持具有重要意义,同时对喀斯特山地植物群落的管理和生态系统稳定的维持也具有重要指导意义。     

浙西南山区自然圣境植物物种多样性及其维持机制

自然圣境在生物多样性和文化多样性保护方面具有特殊地位。采用关键人物访谈、重要值、Simpson指数、Shannon-Wiener指数等方法,对浙西南钱江源-百山祖国家公园片区及其周边8个代表性村寨的4种自然圣境[风水林、水口林(水尾林)、古坟林和古道林]及其植物群落和植物物种多样性特征进行调查。结果发现,裸子植物在浙西南圣境乔木层中占有明显优势,但不同的自然圣境乔木层优势科和物种多样性存在差异。由于文化信仰和当地管理的作用,圣境中保存一些我国特有的珍稀濒危动植物,并且圣境中许多植物具有较高的食用、景观、科研、生态和经济等价值。然而,随着人口外流,文化信仰逐步消失,已难以保护这些自然圣境,急需创新管护机制,将重要但遭受威胁的自然圣境纳入现代保护体系中。     

苏浙皖地区珍稀濒危植物的研究

本文对苏浙皖地区分布的64种国家第一批重点保护植物种的种群现存数量、生态地理分布、稀有濒危原因、保护价值及保护措施等进行了调查和研究,为有效地抢救和保护本区的珍稀濒危植物提供了科学依据。     

Protection versus culture-driven exploitation of wild plant resources: the case on Changbai Mountain

Under Chinese culture it is believed that herbal medicine is always safe and wild food is always healthy. Generally, the rarer a plant, the higher its value. The booming economy in China has promoted tourism development in wilderness areas and wild medicinal and food plants are part of the attraction to tourists. Conflicts between wild plant exploitation and protection have emerged in many parts of China, such as Changbai Mountain. Changbai Mountain supports numerous medicinal and food plants but many have become rare and endangered. This paper numerically evaluates 30 plant species that have relatively high conservation value for each type (medicinal, ornamental and food), and briefly describes the uses of four to five top ranked species per type that need more protection on Changbai Mountain. This paper also addresses some tree species with important timber values on Changbai Mountain. Over 90% of China's medicinal, ornamental and food plant species, as well as valuable timber trees are found in the conifer–broadleaf mixed forest zone across the boundary of Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve. It is a major challenge to protect the native biodiversity of mixed forest on Changbai Mountain and more efforts need to be made to protect rare and endangered plant species with high economic value.     

Quantifying Plant Population Persistence in Human-Dominated Landscapes

Abstract:  We assessed population performance of rare plants across a gradient from rural to urban landscapes and evaluated 2 hypotheses central to strategic conservation planning: (1) population performance declines with increasing human dominance and (2) small populations perform poorly relative to larger ones. Assessing these hypotheses is critical to strategic conservation planning. The current conservation paradigm adheres to the well-established ecology theory that small isolated populations, particularly those in human-dominated landscapes, are the least likely to succeed over the long term. Consequently, conservation planning has strongly favored large, remote targets for protection. This shift in conservation toward ecosystem-based programs and protection of populations within large, remote systems has been at the expense of protection of the rarest of the rare species, the dominant paradigm for conservation driven by the endangered species act. Yet, avoiding conservation of small populations appears to be based more on theoretical understanding and expert opinion than empiricism. We used Natural Heritage data from California in an assessment of population performance of rare plants across a landscape with an urban-rural gradient. Population performance did not decrease in urban settings or for populations that were initially small. Our results are consistent with a pattern of few species extinctions within these landscapes over the past several decades. We conclude that these populations within compromised landscapes can contribute to overall biodiversity conservation. We further argue that conservation planning for biodiversity preservation should allocate relatively more resources to protecting urban-associated plant taxa because they may provide conservation benefit beyond simply protecting isolated populations; they may be useful in building social interest in conservation.     

广西壮族自治区自然保护区建设与珍稀植物保护

广西地区自然分布有国家稀有濒危植物１２１种，是我国濒危植物资源最丰富的省份之一。本文在评价广西的自然保护区建设现状、保护区类型和结构布局以及对濒危植物资源保护情况的基础上，提出了广西的自然保护区建设和濒危植物资源有效保护的建议和对策。     

Urban Plants as Genetic Reservoirs or Threats to the Integrity of Bushland Plant Populations

Abstract:  Remnant plants in urban fringes and native plants in gardens have the potential to contribute to the conservation of threatened plants by increasing genetic diversity, effective size of populations, and levels of genetic connectedness. But they also pose a threat through the disruption of locally adapted gene pools. At Hyams Beach, New South Wales, Australia, four bushland stands of the rare shrub, Grevillea macleayana McGillivray, surround an urban area containing remnant and cultivated specimens of this species. Numbers of inflorescences per plant, fruits per plant, and visits by pollinators were similar for plants in urban gardens and bushland. Urban plants represented a substantial but complex genetic resource, displaying more genetic diversity than bushland plants judged by H_e , numbers of alleles per locus, and number of private alleles. Of 27 private alleles in urban plants, 17 occurred in a set of 19 exotic plants. Excluding the exotic plants, all five stands displayed a moderate differentiation ( F_ST = 0.14 ± 0.02), although the urban remnants clustered with two of the bushland stands. These patterns may be explained by high levels of selfing and inbreeding in this species and by long-distance dispersal (several seeds in the urban stand were fathered by plants in other stands). Genetic leakage (gene flow) from exotic plants to 321 seeds on surrounding remnant or bushland plants has not occurred. Our results demonstrate the conservation value of this group of urban plants, which are viable, productive, genetically diverse, and interconnected with bushland plants. Gene flow has apparently not yet led to genetic contamination of bushland populations, but high levels of inbreeding would make this a rare event and difficult to detect. Remnant plants in urban gardens could successfully contribute to recovery plans for endangered and vulnerable species.     

Rarity of Organisms in the Sand Pine Scrub Habitat of Florida

Naturalists conceive of "rare" organisms as those narrow in geographic range, restricted to few habitats, or small in population sizes. Because rare organisms may be rare in a variety of ways, a particular conservation strategy that purports to protect them may not do so effectively in all cases; therefore, categorization of rarity in advance could help ensure that the chosen strategy has a reasonable chance of success in a particular case. We placed plants, amphibians, and reptiles resident in the Sand Pine scrub habitat of Florida into categories of rarity. Determining if and in what way a particular organism is rare proved difficult, because the process requires exact specification of what is meant by "narrow,""restricted," and "small." Furthermore, the process requires choice of a scale for judging rarity and relies upon data that are likely to be of variable availability and reliability. We categorized rarity by several schemes, and they produced distributions of taxa among categories of rarity that largely were similar to one another but that diverged in telling ways. The distributions of taxa among categories of rarity produced by any scheme were different for scrub plants than for scrub amphibians and reptiles. Likewise, these distributions were different than those produced by previously published studies of rarity. We found that the results of our categorization schemes did not match particularly well with the official listing of scrub organisms as endangered or potentially endangered.     

Intraspecific Chromosome Number Variation: a Neglected Threat to the Conservation of Rare Plants

Abstract: The effectiveness of rare plant conservation will increase when life history, demographic, and genetic data are considered simultaneously. Inbreeding depression is a widely recognized genetic concern in rare plant conservation, and the mixing of genetically diverse populations in restoration efforts is a common remedy. Nevertheless, if populations with unrecognized intraspecific chromosome variation are crossed, progeny fitness losses will range from partial to complete sterility, and reintroductions and population augmentation of rare plants may fail. To assess the current state of cytological knowledge of threatened and endangered plants in the continental United States, we searched available resources for chromosome counts. We also reviewed recovery plans to discern whether recovery criteria potentially place listed species at risk by requiring reintroductions or population augmentation in the absence of cytological information. Over half the plants lacked a chromosome count, and when a taxon did have a count it generally originated from a sampling intensity too limited to detect intraspecific chromosome variation. Despite limited past cytological sampling, we found 11 plants with documented intraspecific cytological variation, while 8 others were ambiguous for intraspecific chromosome variation. Nevertheless, only one recovery plan addressed the chromosome differences. Inadequate within‐species cytological characterization, incomplete sampling among listed taxa, and the prevalence of interspecific and intraspecific chromosome variation in listed genera, suggests that other rare plants are likely to have intraspecific chromosome variation. Nearly 90% of all recovery plans called for reintroductions or population augmentation as part of recovery criteria despite the dearth of cytological knowledge. We recommend screening rare plants for intraspecific chromosome variation before reintroductions or population augmentation projects are undertaken to safeguard against inadvertent mixtures of incompatible cytotypes.     

Genetic Structure of Fragmented Populations of the Endangered Daisy Rutidosis leptorrhynchoides

Abstract: The endangered grassland daisy Rutidosis leptorrhynchoides has been subject to severe habitat destruction and fragmentation over the past century. Using allozyme markers, we examined the genetic diversity and structure of 16 fragmented populations. The species had high genetic variation compared to other plant species, and both polymorphism and allelic richness showed strong positive relationships with log reproductive population size, reflecting a loss of rare alleles (frequency of q < 0.1) in smaller populations. Fixation coefficients were positively related to size, due either to a lack of rare homozygotes in small populations or to Wahlund effects (owing to spatial genetic structure) in large ones. Neither gene diversity nor heterozygosity was related to population size, and other population parameters such as density, spatial contagion, and isolation had no apparent effect on genetic variation. Genetic divergence among populations was low , despite a large north-to-south break in the species' current distribution. To preserve maximum genetic variation, conservation strategies should aim to maintain the five populations larger than 5000 reproductive plants, all of which occur in the north of the range, as well as the largest southern population of 626 plants at Truganina. Only one of these is currently under formal protection. High heterozygosity in smaller populations suggests that they are unlikely to be suffering from inbreeding depression and so are also valuable for conservation. Erosion of allelic richness at self-incompatibility loci, however, may limit the reproductive capacity of populations numbering less than 20 flowering plants.     

Indigenous Uses, Population Density, and Conservation of Threatened Medicinal Plants in Protected Areas of the Indian Himalayas

Abstract:  For 10 years I monitored the population density of threatened medicinal plant species in seven protected areas in the Indian Himalayas. I also documented the indigenous uses of threatened medicinal plants through interviews with 138 herbal healers (83 Tibetan healers and 55 Ayurvedic healers) residing in the buffer zone villages of these protected areas. To assess the population status of threatened medicinal plant species, I sampled the 10 major habitat types in the protected areas. In all, I found 60 threatened medicinal plant species during the study period, of which 54 species occurred in the sampling plots. Twenty-two percent of threatened medicinal plant species were critically endangered, 16% were endangered, and 27% were vulnerable. Thirty-two threatened medicinal plant species were endemic to the Himalayan region. The density of threatened medicinal plant species varied with protected areas. The Valley of Flowers protected area had the highest number of threatened medicinal plant species. The "moist" habitat type was richest in these species among all 10 habitat types sampled. Arnebia euchroma (Royle ex Benth.) Johnston and Ephedra gerardiana Wall. ex Stapf. were the most common threatened medicinal plant species. The indigenous groups of healers used these threatened species in curing about 45 different ailments. Based on my findings, I believe that to ensure the long-term sustainability of threatened medicinal plants, medicinal-plant conservation areas should be established.