植物引种驯化对近500年人类文明史的影响及其科学意义

近500年来, 植物引种驯化及其广泛栽培深刻改变了世界农业生产的格局, 对促进人类社会文明进步产生了深远的影响。无论在西方殖民地发展史还是在我国明清发展史中, 每一种重要栽培植物的成功引种和驯化, 都对历史进程产生了不可估量的作用。活植物收集是植物园的核心和“灵魂”, 传承了现代植物园几个世纪科学研究的脉络和成就。活植物收集是植物园科学研究的基础和支撑平台, 也是当前和未来发展的根本。基于活植物收集的植物园研究工作具有多学科综合的特征, 既对基础生物学研究具有重要意义, 也与经济繁荣、社会发展和人类日常生活密切相关。

Impact of Plant Introduction or Domestication on the Recent 500 Years of Civilization and Scientific Research Value of Plant Living Collections

In the recent 500 years, plant introduction or domestication and internationalization of introduced plant crops have profoundly changed the world agricultural productions and have had far-reaching impacts on the history of human civilization. Whether in Western colonial history or in the Ming and Qing dynasties of China, successful introduction and domestication of important crop plants have immeasurably changed economic and social developments and history. Plant living collections are the core of botanical gardens and the “soul” by inheriting the contexts and achievements of scientific research of modern botanical gardens in the past five centuries. Plant living collections are also a foundation of botanical garden-based life science and biotechnology and supporting facilities for other disciplines and are of fundamental importance for current and future developments of botanical gardens. Living collections of plant-based research in botanical gardens are multi-disciplinary, of critical importance for contemporary basic biology and also closely connected to economic and social prosperity and our daily life.