Ethnobotanical studies of taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, in Yunnan, China

摘要

Ethnobotany is defined as the study of the direct inter-relations between humans and plants. However, because for a long time most ethnobotanical studies have emphasized the uses of plants by hunter-gatherers and agricultural societies for food, medicine, shelter and other purposes, it is often assumed that ethnobotany is restricted to those communities. Actually, ethnobotany encompasses the study of all human societies, past and present, as well as all types of interrelations - ecological, evolutionary and symbolic - and recognizes the reciprocal and dynamic nature of the relationships between humans and plants. Tracing back in the history of human beings, we can readily find that as soon as the gathering and collecting of wild plants became toodifficult to meet human requirements, they had to domesticate wild plants and then generated a wide variety of crops. The evolution of crops is intricately associated with the history of human civilization. In recent decades, with population increase andprofound changes in traditional agricultural systems and natural habitats, the plant diversity of both wild and domesticated species is in danger of decline or even extinction at an unprecedented rate. Thus, biodiversity conservation has become a worldwide topic. To realize such an objective, first we need to enlarge our scientific understanding of biological and evolutionary processes, and then take effective measures to preserve the world's biodiversity in the face of threats. However, can we improveour understanding simply by waiting for science research to reveal the secrets? Many ethnobotanical studies have indicated that indigenous knowledge in a given culture and region can play a significant role in germplasm conservation and evaluation. Thisis the key reason for using an integrated ethnobotanical and genetic approach in our project.