Ye Han plans to bring the phenomenon of 'strangulation', a unique phenomenon in the tropical rainforest, into the new pavilion so that everyone can realize this spectacle.

She turned on her phone and took a few pictures of the strangled trees.

Although I think it's a little cruel, this is the rule of nature, the replacement of ecology and plants, and human beings cannot interfere at will.

Strangulation occurs on many Ficus species, such as Alpine Ficus, Weeping Ficus, Bush-haired Weeping Ficus, Blunt Leaf Ficus and Oblique Ficus, etc.

Ye Han thought of the high mountain banyan on Banyan Island.

It is also a member of the strangled banyan group.

But she's not worried.

This phenomenon only occurs in places such as tropical rainforests, where trees are dense, species are abundant, and birds scatter seeds everywhere.

It's the only place where there is such a fierce and existential rivalry.

It's a wonder that belongs to nature.

Walking further, Ye Han suddenly felt a strong sunlight falling overhead, and he was a little unaccustomed to the sparse light and shadow jungle.

She raised her head and gently blocked the sunlight with her arms, and sure enough, the top of the forest area more than twenty meters high revealed a gap of about ten square meters, like opening a window in a room that was not too bright.

Director Xu also looked up: "This is a forest window in the rainforest, representing the replacement of this small area.

When a tree dies of aging or falls due to other factors such as lightning strikes, a forest window is exposed above. Sunlight pours down from here, and then the plants in the area grow like crazy, trying to compete for the sun. ”

"It's like a 'whale fall' in the ocean, one whale falls, and all things are born. The decay and decomposition of large trees will provide a lot of nutrients to this area, and this forest gap will provide them with a lot of sunlight and space to grow. ”

Ye Han looked at the plants under the forest window, they were all growing in the direction of the sunlight, and the middle and lower layers had begun to compete.

The leaves of herbaceous plants stretch desperately, preventing other plants from growing and monopolizing sunlight; The vines wrap around and climb, striving to break through the blades above to reach higher ground; Although the arbor has not yet grown, it is trying to draw strips and keep raising them......

Everything is for the hard-won forest window at the top.

Director Xu motioned for Ye Han to come over: "Look here." The monstera, which had grown to two meters, was tightly entangled in a woody vine, whose branches climbed along it to the nearby tree, trying to get closer.

Unfortunately, it should not be the final winner, because there are still a few wild plantain trees that are more than 3 meters tall here. ”

Plantain is a common plant in tropical rainforests, with fast growth, strong meristem meristem, and wide leaves.

A blocked plant can only grow in its shadow, or strive to break through from elsewhere.

Director Xu: "Of course, the ecology in the rainforest is ever-changing, and the winner cannot be determined.

But what is certain is that in a few decades or even hundreds of years, this forest window will be covered by other trees and will return to its original appearance. ”

Ye Han felt that he had learned a lot.

The rainforest has its own set of rules, and it is as if the fast-forward button has been pressed here, and the replacement and rebirth of plants is staged every day.

Natural selection, survival of the fittest.

Fierce competition from plants is a kind of renewal in its natural state, which is the basis for building a rainforest ecosystem

。

When a tree falls, it nourishes hundreds of plants, which then grow new trees, forming a cycle.

Together, they form a complex and stable rainforest ecosystem.

……

Walking in the rainforest, the surroundings are not quiet, and the insects chirp loudly.

There are a large number of unknown insects inhabiting the forest, various tree frogs, toads hiding in trees and low shrubs, and some snakes, small lizards, etc., half of which are poisonous.

Fortunately, it is daytime, and these nocturnal animals rarely appear.

According to Director Xu, in the western area of the botanical garden, when there are many people, a rainforest night walker is organized, and visitors can see the scenery at night that they can't usually see.

It's also a special experience here.

Because it has been developed there, it is safer, but the original ecological rainforest in the eastern area is not necessarily, and it is in danger at any time.

On the way, Ye Han found a palm-sized birdcatcher spider on the wide leaves of the palm family.

They are large, fluffy and fluffy, with markings and feet tinged with a hint of pink.

It is a carnivorous spider with toxins in its body.

As the name suggests, it is possible to prey on small birds.

Birds usually prey on insects such as spiders, but in the case of bird catchers, the opposite is true.

"Be careful, don't disturb it."

Although Director Xu said this, he couldn't help but get closer, and took a few photos: "I didn't expect to find a wild bird-catching spider in Yulin today, which is an endangered animal and is rarely seen." ”

Birdcatchers have extremely high requirements for the environment, and the fact that birdcatchers can be found here shows that this rainforest is well protected.

Director Xu felt that he was lucky today.

After all, he has been here for many years, and rarely sees birdcatchers in the wild.

Not only that, but they also found a bamboo-leaf green snake coiled in a tree.

It is about forty or fifty centimeters long, with a turquoise body and orange-red eyes, which is poisonous, but the color is very beautiful.

Its body is coiled in two circles in the branches, and its head hangs from the branches, and the coiled part resembles an emerald emerald bracelet.

The two did not come closer, because the snake was somewhat aggressive, so they only observed from a distance.

Director Xu: "I'm really lucky today, bamboo leaves generally only appear at night or on rainy days, and rarely see them during the day." ”

Ye Han was also eye-opening.

When I photographed this bamboo leaf from a distance with my mobile phone, there was a feeling of excitement and a slight hint of fear, no wonder some explorers would come to explore the rainforest.

It's really exciting.

Walking further, Ye Han saw a tall tree - seeing blood sealing his throat.

It is also a tropical plant that she is preparing to introduce.

See blood to seal the throat, also called arrow poison wood, the national third-level protected plant.

The milky white juice that flows out contains highly toxic, and once it comes into contact with human and animal wounds, it can make the poisoned person paralyzed, blood coagulate, and die instantly, which is extremely toxic.

In ancient times, the sap was often smeared on arrowheads for hunting, and today it has certain medicinal value.

The bloody throat in front of him was much taller than Ye Han imagined, more than 30 meters high, with a diameter at breast height of nearly 1 meter, and it was a towering giant tree.

And what surprised Ye Han the most was the root system at the bottom of the tree.

Its huge root system

Exposed, not rattan-like fibrous roots or lateral roots, but large flanks that are flattened like triangles. ()

Each wing is two meters tall and extends to a width of five or six meters, as if a gray wall had been erected in front of her, which is very spectacular.

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Ye Han needed to look up at its roots, which was unimaginable in other environments.

The root system of ordinary plants is deeply rooted in the soil, and even if it is exposed, only a small part of it; Here, however, the exposed roots are incomparably wide, radiating from the center and diverging outward, forming several plate-like structures that serve as strong supports for the plant.

This is a phenomenon peculiar to tropical rainforests – 'bangen'.

Director Xu and Ye Han stood in front of the tree together: "This kind of tabular adventitious root is developed from lateral roots, and it has two main functions.

The first is to provide additional support to prevent these 30 to 40 metre tall trees with large canopies from being 'top-heavy', and to better resist the storms and rains in the rainforest.

Second, the water in the rainforest is often saturated, and their roots have no choice but to thrive on the ground because they do not need to penetrate deep into the soil for breathing. ”

Ye Han looked at the 'board wall' in front of him, stepped forward and touched it, it was very hard, "Director, are the roots of the board so big?" ”

Director Xu: "It depends, but it's generally not small.

The largest tree I have ever seen, more than 40 meters high, has 13 roots, and the longest one extending from the ground is 10 meters long, which is very amazing. ”

Ten meters.

Ye Han was amazed from the bottom of his heart.

The height of most trees is only a dozen meters, but the big trees in the tropical rainforest can extend to such a magnitude just by their roots, which is really terrifying.

The tabular roots make them more stable, providing more water and nutrients to feed themselves, allowing them to grow upwards and reach incredible heights.

……

Ye Han also saw Alder, a national second-class wild protected plant.

It belongs to the fern family, but it can grow as tall as a tree, reaching a height of more than 6 meters.

Director Xu: "Alder is also a living fossil, which existed 230 million years ago, and is the only woody fern today. ”

Ye Han looked up at its stretched leaves, and couldn't help but think of the golden retriever dog fern.

They are all feathery, with leaves arranged in two rows, small and dense, with long petioles.

Director Xu: "There is also a fern that looks very similar to it, called alder alder, which is not a genus. ”

Alder alba is also a national second-class wild protected plant and terrestrial fern.

It grows taller, up to 20 meters high, and the higher the humidity of the air, the more vigorous it grows, making it a giant among ferns.

*

After walking in the rainforest for more than two hours, Ye Han saw a variety of tropical plants, wild orchids, as well as the unique phenomenon of 'strangulation' and 'plate roots' unique to the rainforest, as well as the wonder of the 'hanging garden'.

Hanging gardens are essentially parasitic epiphysis of other plants in large trees.

At an altitude of more than ten meters, moss and lichen spread along the big trees, covering the trunks with a thick layer of green; Lianas are entwined around it, and ferns such as bird's nest ferns and staghorn ferns are attached to the branches, like green flowers blooming on the branches.

Leaf-like scales of air pineapple

() Pieces on branches, fluttering in the wind; There are also various epiphytic orchids, such as bulb orchids and dendrobium orchids, which rely on large trees to grow and use false bulbs to absorb water in the air.

When the time comes to bloom, they will form a colorful hanging garden.

Ye Han felt these peculiar landscapes along the way, which not only increased his knowledge, but also a kind of learning, and benefited a lot.

This experience provided her with a lot of materials to build a new exhibition greenhouse.

When she returns, she tries to simulate the pristine environment so that these unique rainforest phenomena can be represented in the pavilion.

The view in the rainforest is stunning, though, but the heat and humidity feel very uncomfortable and stuffy, as if clothes can wring out water.

The rainforest is a paradise for plants, but it is not suitable for human access.

Ye Han raised his hand and shook his hat, and the buzzing of mosquitoes barely stopped.

She was actually a little tired, but she didn't dare to sit casually on the fallen tree trunk to rest, which was crawling with ants and moss, and brightly colored fungal plants growing underneath, which didn't look very safe.

Director Xu: "There is a river ahead, let's sit on the rocks on the bank to rest, and further on, we will soon arrive at the Wangtian Tree Reserve." ”

Ye Han's breathing was a little short: "Okay, director." ”

After a brief break from the dense jungle, the view suddenly widens, and the sun shines from above, illuminating the entire area.

The water in front of you flows through the top and is extremely clear, and you can see floating aquatic plants, algae, small fish, and tiny plankton inside.

Ye Han took off his hat and sat on the shore to rest, and it took a while to recover.

There are butterflies that stop at the small pond in the depression to drink water, and then sink into the nearby bushes, and the butterflies flutter, forming a beautiful scene.

The butterflies in Y province are also a must, with a very large number of species and numbers, with 1,300 species, and the species occupy nearly 80% of butterflies in China.

Ye Han felt that she could bring some butterfly specimens back, which would be conducive to the construction of the herbarium.

Director Xu pointed to the front and showed her, "Do you see the highest forest, that is the Wangtian Tree Scenic Area." ”

Ye Han saw it.

Because the tree is so tall that it is noticeable even in forest areas with tall trees, it is a large section higher than the surrounding area, and you can see it at a glance.

It's finally coming.

After resting on the shore for twenty minutes, the two continued their journey.

When he came to the bottom of the Wangtian Tree, Ye Han felt that he had underestimated its height.

Almost every tree in this forest area is fifty or sixty meters high, equivalent to the height of a twenty-story building, towering into the sky and reaching the sky.

Even the sunlight came through the top and outside, because other trees could not reach the same height, so there were these gaps.

Moreover, the height of the tree is more than 50 meters, but the average diameter at breast height is only about 1.5 meters, and the trunk of the tree appears a little slender in comparison, as if the neck of a giraffe has been stretched tenfold, and it is more and more towering and erect, like a tree in the sky.

Ye Han stood below, feeling very small.

It feels like an ant swinging under a reed, and even if you try to look up, you can't get a full picture of it.

It's really too high.

It will be even more obvious if you use drone aerial photography.

at an average height of 30 meters

In the canopy, a towering giant tree suddenly emerged, with a straight trunk reaching into the sky, standing proudly above ten thousand trees.

It is worthy of the tallest tree in our country, which is really shocking.

Ye Han: "Director, are the sky-looking trees here all so tall?" ”

Director Xu bowed: "Most of this piece is between 50-60 meters, and the highest record in the country is 88 meters. ”

Even Ye Han was shocked by this height.

She now understands why it's called an iconic species of the rainforest, as it's rare.

With the exception of the rainforest, which is a pristine ecosystem with abundant sunshine and abundant rainfall, there are no other places where such tall and towering giant trees grow.

Director Xu: "Before the 70s of the last century, everyone thought that there were no rainforests in China.

It was not until the discovery of dipterocarp, the iconic species of Southeast Asian rainforests, that it was finally proved that there are tropical rainforests in China, and there are more than one place. ”

This discovery is of epoch-making significance.

Nowadays, there are large areas of tropical rainforest not only in Y but also in H province.

Tropical rainforests are the lungs of the earth, the highest expression of biodiversity, and a paradise for plants.

As an iconic species, the significance of the discovery of the Wangtian tree is self-evident, and since then China has become one of the countries with the most complete forest types in the world.

Director Xu: "The fruit of dipterocarp is very special, and it should still be able to be picked up just after the fruit period." ”

Ye Han searched for them on the ground and got a few complete fruits.

It's really special.

Its fruit has 'wings', like a bamboo dragonfly or a small shuttlecock, with a total of 5 wings and seeds inside.

When the fruit falls, it spins and falls in the air, falling into rivers, ground, trees, and other places where it can fall, and strives to take root and sprout and reproduce.

Ye Han picked one up and threw it upward, and sure enough, the fruit wings began to rotate and fall slowly from the air, which was quite interesting.

She loves this seed so much.

Not only the Wangtian tree, but also the green plum of dipterocarp plants, narrow-leaved slopes, etc., are similar fruits, in order to better survive.

Ye Han decided to introduce this unique national first-class protected plant.

However, looking at the height of the Wangtian tree, the exhibition greenhouse seems to be a little overwhelmed.

Originally, she set the height of the pavilion at 32 meters, which was already very amazing, even if it was a big tree, it was rare to grow so tall, but it was indeed not high in front of the Wangtian tree.

This is the case with interfloral sets, which means that other botanical gardens are similarly difficult to nurture this plant.

Ye Han: "Director, are there any other botanical gardens that have introduced Wangtian Trees now?" ”

Director Xu: "At present, there are only K City Botanical Garden and South China Botanical Garden. ”

"We are trying to cultivate it artificially, but the environment in which it grows determines that it is not possible for it to be widely cultivated in China."

It will not be like first-class protected plants such as ginkgo biloba and metasequoia, which can be found everywhere.

When it comes to conservation, it's a challenge.

This means that if the protected area changes, there is a high risk of loss of diversity.

Ye Han plans to introduce 10 20-meter-long Wangtian trees and their seeds into the exhibition greenhouse to cultivate, and if they grow to a height beyond the height of the storey, they will consider transplanting them back to the rainforest or establishing a forest area directly among the flowers.

The system's quest rewards include [Whole Garden-wide Temperature Control System Upgrade], which is able to cultivate tropical plants.

In addition to simulating the original environment, it also contributes to the protection of endangered plants.

The application for the introduction of state-protected plants has been approved, and there is no problem here at the X City Botanical Garden.

Director Xu: "It's a good thing to let more people know about the Wangtian tree, which is an iconic plant of the tropical rainforest. ”

It can also cultivate the public's awareness of protection.

After seeing the endemic phenomena and endemic species of the tropical rainforest, the two prepared to go back.

Ye Han looked at the time, it was almost 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

They will go back to another developed road and leave the rainforest around 3 o'clock.

Tired.

I'm going to visit the Orchid Room tomorrow, which should bring her a new experience.

As for the rainforest, she should come back again. Collect seeds, tubers, cuttings, and so on from tropical plants.

This trip to Province Y must have been very rewarding.!