University teams explore biological sciences in Yunnan

The field practice team poses for a group photo in Yunnan. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

A joint practice activity of the Yunnan University Training Program for Top Students in Basic Disciplines of Biological Sciences 2.0 was recently held in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Nearly 100 teachers and students from 18 universities in China set up "Top Students in Basic Disciplines of Biological Sciences 2.0" bases and participated in the practice, learning about Yunnan's rich biological resources and diverse climate.

Yunnan occupies only 4.1 percent of the national land area, but its ecosystem types and number of biological species rank first in China. Asian elephants, Indian bison, green peacocks and another 25 species of wild animals in China are only found in Yunnan. The province is known as a "plant kingdom", "animal kingdom" and "species gene bank".

The biology field practice started in Kunming and went through Yuxi, Yuanjiang Hani, Yi and Dai autonomous county, Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture and other places. The practice team visited the Kunming Zoological Museum, Chengjiang Fossil Land Natural History Museum and other famous spots.

People participate in field practice. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

Chen Ziyang, a student from Xiamen University who participated in the practice, said he saw a large number of ferns in Xishuangbanna that he had never seen before.

The practice team participated in comprehensive practice activities in the field, involving environmental exploration, sample observation, specimen preparation and more. In the evenings, they returned to their residence to discuss biological science and held a discussion on the development of comprehensive practices in biology.

The field practice also invited Liu Guangyu – deputy director of the Environmental Education Center of the Xishuangbanna Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences – to give a keynote speech to the team.

Liu explains the research progress of the Xishuangbanna Botanical Garden in botany, ecology and biodiversity conservation, guiding the team to delve into the field of biology. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]