250年内近600种植物灭绝

Why the extinction of nearly 600 plant species in 250 years is a big deal

为什么近600种植物在250年内灭绝是一件大事

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.

许多人能说出近几个世纪灭绝的鸟类或哺乳动物的名字，但很少有人能说出遭受同样命运的植物的名字。英国皇家植物园和斯德哥尔摩大学的研究人员最近发现，自1750年以来，至少有571种植物灭绝，这是鸟类、哺乳动物和两栖动物灭绝总数的两倍。

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.

该研究的合著者、英国皇家植物园的科学家拉斐尔·戈瓦茨回顾了30多年来有关植物灭绝的所有出版物，发现这个数字是目前已灭绝植物清单上数字的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."

根据戈瓦茨的说法，列出一份灭绝植物的清单是一项艰巨的任务。他在英国皇家植物园网站上描述了这次经历:“我从1988年以来，通过筛选相关的科学出版物，访问草药，以及在假期进行实地考察，收集了所有植物灭绝的数据。”

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.

研究人员说，这些数据表明，植物灭绝的速度比没有人类干预的情况下预计的要快500倍左右。他们的发现发表在《自然生态与进化》杂志上。

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.

他们发现，岛屿、热带地区和地中海气候地区的物种灭绝率最高。灭绝的主要原因是栖息地的破坏和丧失，通常是由人类活动导致。

Species that disappeared and some that reappeared

一些物种消失了，一些又重新出现

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.

濒临灭绝的物种包括智利檀香，它被用来提炼精油，自20世纪初以来就没有被发现过;还有圣海伦娜橄榄树，2003年在一次毁灭性的白蚁袭击和真菌感染后被彻底摧毁。

St. Helena olive tree
圣海伦娜橄榄树

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，研究人员确实发现了430种曾经被认为已经灭绝的物种正在被重新发现。其中包括智利番红花，这是一种颜色鲜艳、广受欢迎的球茎植物，在多年未被发现后，于2001年被重新发现。

"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.

虽然一些物种已经被重新发现并得到保护，但目前的名单上有571种有记录的植物灭绝，其中大部分现在不太可能被重新发现。许多已经灭绝的植物本可以为粮食安全或药物提供解决方案，但不幸的是，我们永远不会知道它们的价值。”戈瓦茨写道。

"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."

“当然，植物灭绝的真实数字要高得多，因为我编制的名单中只有科学家记录和搜索过的物种。更多的植物只能从它们的原始收藏或历史标本中得知。所有这些都需要再次进行搜索，以记录幸存的物种，保护它们免受野生地区持续破坏和生态系统破坏的影响。”