物种的及时发现：以中国苦苣苔科植物为例

Species Discovery in Time：An Example from Gesneriaceae in China

关键词:  生物多样性  中国  苦苣苔科  物种发现

Key words:  biodiversity  China  Gesneriaceae  species discovery

摘要:

近年来，中国发现了越来越多的新物种。本研究以苦苣苔科为例，从历史的角度和调查的动态趋势来探讨这些工作，进一步研究物种发现率随时间的变化趋势。目前已知中国分布的苦苣苔科植物有44属，其中最后新增加的一个属是奇柱苣苔属Deinostigma，而中国至少约有647种苦苣苔科植物被报道。过去，新物种的发现率相对稳定，平均每年约有3个新分类群被描述，但在20世纪80年代出现明显峰值，当时平均每年有17~18个新物种被描述和报道，这主要归功于王文采的工作。另外，最近新分类群的猛增发生在过去10年里，而且这个趋势似乎仍在继续，在60多位不同学者的努力下，平均每年有17个新种被发现和报道。这项研究表明，目前中国新种发现和报道的速度大大加快，这可能反映出植物学家对中国存在的巨大植物多样性的认识有了进一步的提升。

Abstract:

China has seen an increasing number of new species being described in recent years. The present study likes to put these efforts into a historical perspective and investigates trends in species discovery rates over time with the Gesneriaceae as an example. At this point in time,44 Gesneriaceae genera exist in China,Deinostigma being the latest added. At least 647 Gesneriaceae species in China have been reported by the end of 2018. The rate of species discovery in the past was relatively steady with three species described per year,however,there was a distinct peak in the 1980s,when an average of 17-18 new species were described and reported each year, predominantly due to the work of Wang Wen-Tsai. Another,more recent increase in species discovery occurred over the last 10 years and is seemingly still ongoing with an average of 17 species per year,though this was an effort of more than 60 different authors. This study demonstrates that the present time witnesses a greatly accelerated rate of species discovery in China that might reflect an increased awareness by botanists of the great plant diversity that exists in this country.