250年內近600種植物滅絕

為什么近600種植物在250年內滅絕是一件大事

Many people can name a bird or a mammal that has become extinct in recent centuries, but few can name a plant that has suffered the same fate. Researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Stockholm University recently found that at least 571 plant species have gone extinct since 1750 — and that's twice the number of all bird, mammal and amphibian extinctions combined, according to a Kew media release.

許多人能說出近幾個世紀滅絕的鳥類或哺乳動物的名字，但很少有人能說出遭受同樣命運的植物的名字。英國皇家植物園和斯德哥爾摩大學的研究人員最近發(fā)現，自1750年以來，至少有571種植物滅絕，這是鳥類、哺乳動物和兩棲動物滅絕總數的兩倍。

The figure was calculated when study co-author Kew scientist Rafael Govaerts reviewed all publications on plant extinctions over more than 30 years and found the number to be four times more than the current listing of extinct plants.

該研究的合著者、英國皇家植物園的科學家拉斐爾·戈瓦茨回顧了30多年來有關植物滅絕的所有出版物，發(fā)現這個數字是目前已滅絕植物清單上數字的4倍。

According to Govaerts, creating a list of extinct plants was an exhaustive task. He wrote about the experience on the Kew website, "I gathered data on all plant extinctions by screening relevant scientific publications since 1988, visits to herbaria, and field trips to search for plants declared extinct, which I made during my holidays."

根據戈瓦茨的說法，列出一份滅絕植物的清單是一項艱巨的任務。他在英國皇家植物園網站上描述了這次經歷:“我從1988年以來，通過篩選相關的科學出版物，訪問草藥，以及在假期進行實地考察，收集了所有植物滅絕的數據。”

Researchers say the data suggests plant extinction is happening about 500 times faster than what would be expected without human intervention. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

研究人員說，這些數據表明，植物滅絕的速度比沒有人類干預的情況下預計的要快500倍左右。他們的發(fā)現發(fā)表在《自然生態(tài)與進化》雜志上。

They found the highest rates of extinction to be on islands, in the tropics and in areas with a Mediterranean climate. The main cause of extinction was destruction and loss of habitat, often due to human activity.

他們發(fā)現，島嶼、熱帶地區(qū)和地中海氣候地區(qū)的物種滅絕率最高。滅絕的主要原因是棲息地的破壞和喪失，通常是由人類活動導致。

Species that disappeared and some that reappeared

一些物種消失了，一些又重新出現

Species driven to extinction include Chile sandalwood, which was exploited for essential oil and hasn't been seen since the early 1900s, and the St. Helena olive tree which was wiped out after a devastating termite attack and fungus infection in 2003.

瀕臨滅絕的物種包括智利檀香，它被用來提煉精油，自20世紀初以來就沒有被發(fā)現過;還有圣海倫娜橄欖樹，2003年在一次毀滅性的白蟻襲擊和真菌感染后被徹底摧毀。

St. Helena olive tree
圣海倫娜橄欖樹

The researchers, however, did find that 430 species once considered extinct have gone on to be rediscovered. These include the Chilean crocus, a colorful, popular bulb rediscovered in 2001 after years of never being seen.

然而，研究人員確實發(fā)現了430種曾經被認為已經滅絕的物種正在被重新發(fā)現。其中包括智利番紅花，這是一種顏色鮮艷、廣受歡迎的球莖植物，在多年未被發(fā)現后，于2001年被重新發(fā)現。

"While some species have been rediscovered and safeguarded, currently the list contains 571 documented plant extinctions, most of which are now unlikely to be rediscovered. Many of the plants that have gone extinct could have offered solutions for food security or medicines but unfortunately, we will never know of their value," Govaerts wrote.

雖然一些物種已經被重新發(fā)現并得到保護，但目前的名單上有571種有記錄的植物滅絕，其中大部分現在不太可能被重新發(fā)現。許多已經滅絕的植物本可以為糧食安全或藥物提供解決方案，但不幸的是，我們永遠不會知道它們的價值。”戈瓦茨寫道。

"The true figure of plant extinction is of course much higher as the list I compiled are only those species scientists have documented and searched for. Many more plants are only known from their original collection or historic specimens. All need to be searched for again to document surviving populations and protect them from the continued destruction of wild places and devastation to ecosystems."

“當然，植物滅絕的真實數字要高得多，因為我編制的名單中只有科學家記錄和搜索過的物種。更多的植物只能從它們的原始收藏或歷史標本中得知。所有這些都需要再次進行搜索，以記錄幸存的物種，保護它們免受野生地區(qū)持續(xù)破壞和生態(tài)系統(tǒng)破壞的影響。”