Why did it take 80 years to draw a cover?

Author: Yang Chen

Recently, a map of the altitude gradient distribution of amphibians in Mount Emei, which is quite similar to "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", appeared on the cover of the international journal "Zoological Research".

The gradient green in the picture is the background color of Mount Emei, and many species of amphibians with different postures are distributed at different altitudes.

This Chinese-style cover depicts the distribution of amphibian species in Mount Emei. The research behind it is based on detailed field community surveys, supplemented by literature and specimen collection records, etc., to analyze the distribution pattern of amphibian diversity along the altitude gradient and the community construction mechanism from different dimensions, and provide scientific advice for the protection of amphibians in the region.

The first author of the article is Wang Xiaoyi, a doctoral student at the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as Chengdu Institute of Biology), and the corresponding author is Hu Junhua, a researcher at the institute.

In this study, the team did a lot of basic work. In addition to the two-year field survey, they also integrated and analyzed the species survey data accumulated by the Amphibian and Reptile Research Laboratory of the Chengdu Institute of Biology over the past 80 years and measured more than 2,000 specimens in the collection.

Hu Junhua believes that this research is an exploration based on the shoulders of predecessors, a close dialogue, and a relay across time and space.

Climb Mount Emei again

In 1938, Liu Chengzhao, one of the founders of Chinese herpetology, moved to Chengdu with Soochow University and led more than a dozen teachers and students to Mount Emei for their first field survey after arriving in Chengdu. Liu Chengzhao first discovered the bearded frog, commonly known as the "bearded frog", a new genus and species of frog.

Since Liu Chengzhao, Mount Emei has become an important base for scholars to study amphibians. Generation after generation of scientific researchers have followed the footsteps of their predecessors, walking through the forests, leaning over the streams, exploring the traces of natural spirits, and have discovered 14 new species of amphibians.

Now the baton of scientific research has been passed to a new generation. From 2017 to 2018, under the guidance of his mentors Hu Junhua and Jiang Jianping, Wang Xiaoyi and his teammates conducted four systematic field surveys on amphibians in Mount Emei.

Go up to Mount Emei again and follow the path of our predecessors. The team set up a total of 23 survey lines and 3 sampling points, covering different altitudes, vegetation types and multiple habitat types in Mount Emei, taking into account the different habits of amphibians. Each sample line is 500 to 2,000 meters long and is mainly laid out along mountain streams.

During the investigation, the investigation team members explored the water level and other conditions of the sample line during the day, and moved slowly along the designated sample line at night, bending over with flashlights. Once they made any discoveries, they would take notes, take photos or videos.

In addition to the distribution, living habits, habitat information and respective GPS locations of each species, the species, gender, weight and other information of each individual are also recorded one by one.

Do the most basic work

Although this study mainly focused on field community surveys, the team also reviewed and systematically collected and organized existing data on the distribution and habitat of amphibians in Mount Emei, including the collections of the Chengdu Institute of Biology's Amphibian and Reptile Museum, officially published literature, and various information accumulated by the research team over a long period of time.

As the largest amphibian and reptile specimen museum in the country, the collection history of the Chengdu Institute of Biology Amphibian and Reptile Specimens Museum can be traced back to the Amphibian and Reptile Research Group established by Liu Chengzhao at West China Union University in 1938.

Currently, the museum has 130,000 registered specimens, and the oldest specimen was collected in 1917.

Integrating the species background data accumulated by predecessors with the information obtained from field surveys will facilitate the team's comparative research.

During this period, the team checked all the historical specimens related to Mount Emei in the collection, and used electronic vernier calipers to make detailed sorting and measurements of more than 2,000 individuals, with several required morphological indicators measured for each individual.

Measuring specimens is the most traditional and basic work in animal ecology research, which requires fine needles and precise measurements.

Fei Liang, a researcher at the Chengdu Institute of Biology who is over 80 years old, recalled that his teacher Liu Chengzhao always asked students to measure at least 40 specimens of one species, half of which were male and half were female, if there were enough specimens. "If the number of specimens is less than 40, measure as many as you can."

Jiang Jianping, director of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services field, often repeats the "golden rule" of his teacher Fei Liang regarding specimen measurement: remember the starting and ending points of each measured trait before measurement, keep the specimen in its natural posture during measurement, read the corresponding data accurately after measurement, and record complete and accurate information. "I also remind and require students to do the same."

In line with the rigorous and meticulous scientific research attitude, even though the predecessors had made detailed measurement records of the specimens in the collection, Wang Xiaoyi and his team still re-measured them one by one to ensure the reliability of the data. "Because we consider that different people may make human errors when measuring."

Persistence in the “niche” field

In the Chengdu Institute of Biology, there are many specimen data books written in pencil. Each specimen in the book has its own collection number, and the measured data such as head length, head width, tail length, tail base width, etc. are neatly recorded in the corresponding table.

Hu Junhua often opened these precious historical records for graduate students to learn from, and encouraged them to seize the opportunity to ask more questions from their predecessors. This research also received support and help from Fei Liang, Jiang Jianping and the curator of the specimen museum, Researcher Li Jiatang.

Wang Xiaoyi consulted Fei Liang about the species in question, such as the giant salamander and the spotted forest frog distributed in Mount Emei. The old man still remembered that the spotted forest frog mostly lived in Mount Emei, and if you walked about two kilometers up the mountain in the direction of zero kilometer, you might be able to find their habitat.

Unlike previous studies that focused on species classification and geographical flora, this research "took a step forward."

"We focus on community composition and construction. Simply put, we focus on analyzing why these species are there and why some altitudes have more species, based on figuring out what species are there at different altitudes in Mount Emei."

Hu Junhua said that amphibians are a biological group that is very sensitive to environmental changes. By deeply understanding the changes in the diversity and distribution of this group, it can provide hints or references for research on environmental changes such as climate.

Research on amphibians and reptiles is a relatively "niche" field in the scientific research community, and researchers like Hu Junhua who study macroecology of amphibians and reptiles are even rarer. "Sometimes I feel that I am more 'endangered' than many endangered species, but it is precisely because of this that we have to work harder to keep going."

Suffering and happy

As for sleeping in the open air during field surveys and staying up all night studying, Hu Junhua takes it all in stride. "Everyone has a different definition of hard work, and we enjoy it."

Wang Xiaoyi speaks softly and is a thin and gentle girl, but she is more able to endure hardships than many strong boys in field surveys, and is bold and careful. She doesn't feel it is too hard, "Compared with the field work of my predecessors in the past, it is so convenient now."

Thirty or forty years ago, "carrying a stick, a pen, and your own pots, pans, and spoons when going out" was the most realistic portrayal of field scientific research.

He used a stick to explore the road and defend himself, a pen to record and draw, and brought his own simple cooking utensils and dry food. When he rested, he built a simple tent with wood and hay. Whenever he recalled these scenes, Fei Liang could chew the hard work into fun, without any lament, but felt lucky. "Because compared with my teacher Liu Chengzhao, the conditions are much better."

When Liu Chengzhao was doing scientific research, society was still in turmoil. It was hundreds of kilometers from Chengdu to Mount Emei, so he and his draftsman Wang Yisheng took a chicken bus to the mountain, but they still had to walk most of the mountain roads.

Sometimes in western Sichuan, there were risks of being stopped by bandits and contracting diseases. In 1942, Liu Chengzhao, who was collecting in the wild at Yanwotang, Zhaojue, Xikang, contracted typhus. Due to the lack of medical care and medicine in the area, his life was almost hanging by a thread. It took him 50 days to recover and continue to devote himself to his beloved career.

After Mr. Liu left for the west, part of his ashes were placed in Qingcheng Mountain. His epitaph reads, "The various amphibians and reptiles made me forget all the difficulties and obstacles." According to his will, part of his ashes were scattered in the "first place" - Da'e Temple in Emei Mountain.

Starting from Mount Emei, but not stopping at Mount Emei. Several generations have worked in the field of Chinese amphibian and reptile research for more than 80 years. Once chosen, they will focus on the journey regardless of wind and rain.

China Science Daily (2022-03-30, Page 4, original title: "Eighty Years Behind a Green Landscape Cover")

Editor | Zhao Lu

Typesetting | Zhihai