Xu Anqing stepped on a stone and stood up, and saw that more than 20 meters away, Yang Rui was circling around a low plant, and he didn't know what time to hang a camera around his neck. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Xie Gaoyi walked over a little funny, and when he looked at Yang Rui, he was still thinking in his heart, he was really still a young man.

Discovering new species is not an easy task, and a plant taxonomist discovers an average of three or four or four or five new species in his lifetime.

And how many fieldwork does a professional plant taxonomist have to do in his lifetime? If not a thousand, there must be eight hundred.

It's not impossible to make a difference in the first field investigation, but the odds are too low.

Being a plant taxonomist is not the same as an ordinary scholar, a plant taxonomist does not accumulate enough knowledge to find new species, they also have to have face-to-face opportunities with new species.

Xie Gaoyi is also a man who has discovered new species, and he knows how low the odds are, and he has really heard too many similar questions:

"Teacher, I think I may have discovered a new species. "This kind of kid is the stupidest, but when it comes to field research, the wild students are basically like this bird.

"Teacher, look at what kind of species this is. "This kind of child is relatively well-behaved, but the ending will not change in the slightest because of being well-behaved.

"Teacher, I found a strange plant. Yang Rui said this, however, the keen Professor Xie still heard the subtext in it with one ear, the problem is, the plants you think are strange, in the eyes of Professor Xie, they are completely normal.

Xie Gaoyi deliberately waited for Yang Rui to finish taking pictures and was ready to collect specimens, before standing over, looking down, and comparing it with the species in his mind, he said, "It seems to be from the genus Blue Thorn." ”

He has been to the Badaling forest area I don't know how many times, and he is very familiar with the distribution of plants in the forest area.

For example, in the case of the genus Cyranopodus, botanists know that there are about 100 species in the world and more than 10 species in the country, from the northwest to the northeast. If there was no such understanding, Xie Gaoyi would not dare to say that it was a genus of blue thorns. It's like if you see a tree that looks like a coconut tree growing in a field at minus 40 degrees Celsius in Heilongjiang and competing with a group of coniferous forests for living space, do you dare to recognize it as a coconut tree?

After confirming that it was a plant of the genus Blue Thorn, Xie Gaoyi was a little more relaxed, this cannot be said to be a taxon that he is good at, but it also belongs to a very familiar taxon.

At the same time, as a teaching task, Xie Gaoyi also had time to introduce to the students: "The species of the genus Blue Thorn are all stout herbaceous plants, generally perennial, some are biennial, and there are very few annual ones. If you look at the upper part of its stalk, there are branches, and there are small fine hairs, which are the characteristics of the genus Bluethorn, and we have determined these, let's look at the leaves...... The blades are generally smooth-edged ......"

Speaking of this, Xie Gaoyi stopped, because it was obvious that the edge of this herbaceous plant of the genus Blue Thorn that Yang Rui found was not smooth.

Xie Gaoyi hesitated for a moment, but did not dwell on this, and said: "There are also rough edges, which are relatively rare, well, let's look at the top of its stems and branches, half of it, the periphery is wrapped in extremely small bristle-like leaves, usually one or two layers...... Well, this one has ...... Three floors. ”

Xie Gaoyi couldn't help but raise his head, glanced at Yang Rui in surprise, and lowered his head to check again, this time, he didn't speak anymore, just turned the small herbaceous plants over and over again, like a wild dog rummaging through garbage.

After a while, Xie Gaoyi said: "As for the specific species of this plant of the genus Blue Thorn, we have to compare the literature and specimens to determine it after we go back." This is also what everyone will learn in the future......"

Botanists are naturally experienced in plants, but it is impossible to know all the characteristics of each flower.

Of course, the common species in the city or local suburbs can be known at a glance, but that is because the plant varieties in the city and suburbs are scarce, and when you arrive in the forest area, you can tell the characteristics of common species, which is already more testing.

However, if you want to go further, it is basically unlikely.

At present, there are more than 31,000 species of plants found in China, this number is a huge test for the brain capacity of botanists, it is difficult for normal humans to have such an IQ level, as for scientists with genius-level superbrains - you are all genius-level high IQ, and you still choose to be a plant taxonomist, is your head caught by the door?

"Anyway, let's collect the specimens first. Xie Gaoyi was a little more serious, first took out a sketchbook, drew a plant form, and drew a few strokes of the surrounding scenery, and then taught Yang Rui to record the surrounding addresses.

Yang Rui is extremely skillful.

He had been searching in his mind for a long time, but he was just looking for an address.

The discovery of a new species must be explained where it was found, whether it is a new species on the bottom of the sea, or a miracle corner that normal people will not climb such as the top of a mountain, or in a basin, plateau, riverside, or saline-alkali land?

The specific location can not be less, especially in the Badaling forest area, everywhere is the students and teachers of the field investigation are rotten, you also found a suspected new species, that must be recorded clearly, maybe go back to the specimen cabinet, you can see similar specimens collected by the predecessors, in this way, directly check the conclusions of the predecessors, you can save a lot of trouble.

Moreover, there is also a group of botanists who specialize in checking specimens to determine whether the specimen is a new species, or whether it is a new distribution area, etc., which is also a similar chain research system.

In front of Yang Rui, Xie Gaoyi naturally had to complete all the steps meticulously, and half-taught and half-helped Yang Rui to collect the specimens, before he got up and stomped his feet, and said: "Everyone spread out to look for it, to see if there are any similar plants nearby, generally speaking, the distribution of new species is relatively concentrated." ”

The students obediently dispersed, and Xu Anqing came to Professor Xie with a strange expression, and said, "Professor Xie, it can't be a real new species." ”

He felt that Professor Xie might have made this decision to curry favor with Yang Rui. However, why did the dignified Peking University professor please Yang Rui's student? The answer to this question was one that he was unwilling to accept.

Not to mention Xu Anqing himself, even if his father wears a general-level epaulettes, the professors of Peking University don't need to please.

Professor Xie didn't expect Xu Anqing to have this kind of mind now, if he knew, he would probably slap him away, and at this time he said lightly: "I'm not sure about the situation of this plant, I want to take it back and take a look." Of course, it is quite possible that it has already been discovered before, but, after all, there are some new features. ”

"Didn't you also say that there are varieties with smooth and unsmooth edges?"

"There are no bracts in three rings. Xie Gaoyi answered very definitely, the characteristics of a species of plants always have a range, and beyond the range, it is worth exploring.

For example, if a man has eight or nine fingers, and a man with eleven fingers calls himself a six-fingered piano demon, the case of twelve fingers cannot be said to be unusual, but if someone has fifteen fingers, then of course there is reason to suspect that he is another kind of human being.

In fact, many new species discovered in modern times can be called new mutant species, such as the six-fingered qin demon has been geographically isolated from normal humans, and after a long time, there is reproductive isolation, so that it is possible to become a new human race, six-fingered people.

Using the finger to make a range of examples is a broader, more extreme example, a normal man has three legs, will there be a variation with four legs? -- don't underestimate natural variation! If you meet a monkey with two younger brothers in nature, it is worth it for taxonomists to examine whether it is a new species.

Xu Anqing couldn't help but speak louder because of his strange dissatisfaction, and said, "Professor Xie, your standards are too broad, Yang Rui has never studied plant taxonomy." ”

Yang Rui replied honestly: "I really haven't learned much. ”

Professor Xie waved his hand and said, "To discover a new species, you don't have to have studied plant taxonomy. Of course, it is generally necessary to learn before you have a better chance of discovering new species, a botanist has discovered one or two plants in his life, and even has not discovered new species, but there are also amateurs who have discovered new species. In short, some people are lucky. ”

"Luck...... Xu Anqing just wanted to find a tree, crash into it, and give himself to a lucky wolf.

…… (To be continued.) )