A group of researchers from the CSIC took part in the first biological expedition conducted on the casts of the gobi desert. After a journey of more than 4,000 kilometers, scientists have collected a large number of samples of the most diverse types.
The High Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has funded a project to improve knowledge of scientific research Gypsum outcrops of the Gobi Desertone of the most important arid areas of the world which, due to its inhospitable nature and difficult access, has been very little studied from a biological point of view.
As a result of this initiative, called COOPB22018, the first biological expedition to this large desert area took place last August. between northern China and southern Mongoliaa, led by the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE) and in which the Aula Dei Experimental Station (EEAD) and several scientific institutions in Mongolia, Armenia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan participated.
The expedition made it possible to analyze the structure and composition of the plant communities and soils of the gypsum of the Gobi Desert and to collect material for the study of the mineralogical, pedological, hydroecological and elemental composition of the soil, as well as materials to understand the plant adaptations and their diversity.
Exploring the Gobi Desert
In total, More than 200 specimens have been collected for herbarium collectionsapproximately 250 plant samples for chemical analysis, almost 100 soil and rock samples and 30 cylinders to analyze the hydroecological characteristics of the soil. All this information will allow us to characterize for the first time the plant and edaphic diversity of the Gobi gypsum and increase our knowledge of the mechanisms that enable plant life under extreme conditions.
The expedition set out from Ulaanbaatar and covered more than 4,000 kilometers over 11 days, most of it on rail or cross-country. crossing the Gobi Desert in search of various gypsum outcrops. Three Spanish researchers were part of the delegation (Yolanda Pueyo and Sara Palacio from the IPE and David Moret from the EEAD), one Armenian and four Mongolians, as well as a human support team.
“In addition to obtaining relevant data for the global database that we have been working on for years, it has been of great importance to establish and strengthen collaborations with Asian researchers for future projects. But above all it was one very enriching life and professional experience”, emphasizes Yolanda Pueyo.
The Gobi Desert, located in the middle of the Asian continent, is one of the driest places in the worldso the biodiversity who inhabit it are highly specialized to live in conditions of almost permanent aridity.