Third scientific survey reveals new species in Xinjiang

Aerial photo shows the snow-covered forest of Tianshan Mountains in Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 30, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

Started in 2021, the third comprehensive scientific survey project, which aims to discern the environmental biodiversity of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, recently updated its phased achievements, which include revealing the age of the Taklimakan Desert and introducing new usable water resources. 

The project is scheduled to end in 2025. Through years of incremental efforts, several discoveries have been made that have revealed new species in and around Xinjiang's Tianshan Mountains. Aside from 39 new insect species that are parasitic natural enemies of ­other insects, the treasure trove of natural resources also includes new moss and fungus species that have come to light for the first time.

One type of Laetiporus sulphureus exclusive to Xinjiang was found. This type of bracket fungus is edible and also has medicinal value. 

Another type of moss species that grows on rotten wood was also identified. Gao Bei, an associate researcher of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and ­Geography, Chinese Academy of ­Sciences, said the moss discovery can shed light on the "evolution of land plants." 

"Such discoveries hold research value beyond one single subject. It reveals Xinjiang's biological diversity. They are also good references for Xinjiang's ecological protection," environmental resource researcher Liao Bo'er told the Global Times. 

The project has an enlarged research scope that extends to China's biggest desert, the Taklimakan Desert in the Tarim Basin. Researchers have discovered evidence that the desert "may have developed around 300,000 years ago," Zhang Yuanming, director of the ­Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said. 

Including the desert at the center of the Tarim River basin area, the project is exploring a total of five areas such as the Irtysh River Basin. Such "comprehensiveness" was not only an "inventory of Xinjiang's resources of ecology and biodiversity," but also "for exploring new resources that can be sustainably used," Li told the Global Times. 

A number of previously unknown rivers were discovered in Xinjiang's "no man's land" areas, adding to China's available water resources. The discovery was made by reexamining local precipitation and some remote region's water resources that were not the focus of the previous surveys. 

"On the northern side of the Kunlun Mountains, the amount of precipitation is probably underestimated by 20 to 40 percent," Zhang noted. 

Water resource investigation isn't the only new subject included in the current survey. Involving examining the microbial community in lakes, microorganism's fertilizing value is a new subject being researched. 

The third survey is powered by a combination of scientific and technological advancements that were not easily accessible during the previous two surveys. 

Researchers have set up an "automatic weather station" in the desert. The station has devices connected to unmanned aerial vehicles carrying sensors. This design allows researchers to grasp not only the landscape, but also the texture, structure and soil density of the desert.  

One of China's national-level science and technology projects, the first "Xinjiang survey" was launched in 1956. At that time, the major goal was to get a picture of Xinjiang's natural resources. 

"We have much more developed goals now, and China is much more experienced in the fields of environmental and ecological conservation than before," Li said.