3. Climate & Temperature
• Because Yunnan is in southwest of China, it’s very moist in climate. It
has annually average temperature at 15℃ (59℉). Many of animals,
plants and fungi are living and breeding in there.
4. Pará rubber tree
(Hevea brasiliensis)
Domain: Plant
Type: Arbor, Angiospermae
Height: 25m
Diameter: 60-150cm
Role: Para rubber tree is often the first to
establish itself when a gap in the canopy is
produced but may be shaded out as more
trees fill in the canopy opening.
5. Lijiang spruce (Picea
likiangensis)
Domain: Plant
Type: Arbor, Gymnospermae
Height: 20ft (6m)
Diameter: 2.5m
Role: Because Lijiang spruce is a kind wood
to make many things, its population has been
reduced by 30% in 75 years by logging, and
the species is therefore categorised as
vulnerable by the IUCN.
6. Dragon tree (Dracaena
draco)
Domain: Plant
Type: Arbor, Angiospermae
Height: 15m (49ft)
Diameter: 1.5m
Role: When the bark or leaves are cut they
secrete a reddish resin, one of several
sources of substances known as dragon's
blood. Dragon's blood from Dracaena draco
and Dracaena cinnabari can be distinguished
by differences in 10 compounds and a
dominant flavonoid DrC11 missing in
Dracaena draco.
7. Snub-nosed monkey
(Rhinopithecus
roxellanae)
Domain: Animal
Type: Mammal, Primate
Height: 68cm (male), 51.8cm (female)
Weight: 19.9kg (male); 12.2kg (female)
Role: As herbivore, golden snub-nosed
monkey can affect plant growth. Like other
monkeys who are herbivores, it disperses
seeds through its feces—thereby helping to
regenerate its forest habitat.
8. Asian elephant
(Elephas maximus)
Domain: Animal
Type: Mammal, Proboscidea
Length: 5.5-6.4m
Height: 1.8-3.8m
Weight: 4t (male), 2.7t (female)
Role: Asian elephant helps to maintain the
integrity of forest and grassland habitats. Its
large size enables the creation of pathways
through dense forests along which it travels,
which then creates access for other wildlife.
9. Clouded leopard
(Neofelis nebulosa)
Domain: Animal
Type: Mammal, Carnivora, Felidae
Length: 84cm
H: 12-23kg
Role: While being relatively small, it is the
largest predator on the island, and as such, it
has an important role to play in the forests'
ecosystems. Capable of hunting on the
ground as well as up in the trees, this wild cat
is still one of the rainforest's most enigmatic
species.
10. Invasive Specie #1:
Channeled applesnail
(Pomacea canaliculata)
Domain: Animal
Type: Invertebrate, Mollusk
Length: 4-6cm
Weight: 25g
Lifespan: 2-5 years
Description: Round, smooth and dark shell
like an apple
Arrive: Apple snail was origin in South
America, it was initially introduced to the
mainland of China, from Taiwan to
Zhongshan city, Guangdong province, in 1981
for aquaculture. Then it affected many
provinces of China, not only Yunnan.
11. How does it affect the
ecosystem?
Apple snail consumes vast amounts of rice
and can devastate the flora and fauna of
natural wetlands. Apple snail can lay 2400-
8700 eggs per year, its egg is pink and can
make it has a lot of population. The large
population can consume the food of other
species. Even apple snail tastes delicious, it
has many parasites in its body.
12. How to prevent this happen?
• Because apple snail has a lot of populations, workers in China decide
to use the medicine such as hemiclofenac and phenols to kill this
species. They also use the duck to hunt and eat apple snail. Any
habitat of snail like water especially paddy can have a serious of ducks
to eat them because they can eat the parasites with no bad
consequences.
13. Alligator snapping
turtle (Macrochelys
temminckii)
Domain: Animal
Type: Reptile, Testudines
Length: 73.7cm (male), 55.9 (female)
Weight: 112.9 (male), 28.1 (female)
Lifespan: 50-100 years
Bite force: 1000lb (454kg)
Description: Alligator snapping turtle has a
large mouth, long tail and rough shell. It can
use the beak to brake your finger.
Arrive: Alligator snapping turtle was
introduced from America to China.
14. How does it affect in
ecosystem?
Alligator snapping turtle uses its dark, rough
skin to camouflage like a large rock. It opens
its mouth slowly and shows its pink
appendage so that the small fish will think
this is a worm and move into turtle’s mouth.
Then the turtle quickly bites this fish.
Alligator snapping turtle’s powerful bite force
and hunting skill make it has no enemy. It can
adjust into many places. Someone
discovered this species in the pool or water
in many Chinese provinces included Yunnan.
Many people decide to exile this species to
the wild, but when it’s discovered in the wild,
it can also harm us. So what is the correct
solution?
15. How to solve this
problem?
Although alligator snapping turtle has strong
bite force, it can’t break the knife. Chinese
pays many attentions to food. Turtle in
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a nice food to
produce lunar blood and replenish essence
and qi. It also has a lot of proteins. If we find
it in the wild, we can cook it as a very
delicious food.
