SI_Appendix_DatasetS6.xlsx from Changes of Cinchona distribution over the past two centuries in the northern Andes

The <i>Cinchona</i> genus is important for humanity due to its ethnobotanical properties, and in particular its ability to prevent and treat malaria. However, there have been historical changes of <i>Cinchona</i> distribution in the tropical Andes that remain undocumented. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, several explorers recorded <i>Cinchona</i> precise localities in present-day Colombia and Ecuador, countries which harbour about half of the species of the genus, including <i>C. officinalis</i>. We compare historical and twentieth-century records to evaluate whether elevational ranges, mean elevation and latitude varied between the two periods. A large expansion of 662.5 m in average elevation for <i>Cinchona</i> and 792.5 m in elevational range for <i>C. officinalis</i> was found. These findings have implications for the conservation of economically important species and help us understand the impacts of the Anthropocene over time.

金鸡纳属（Cinchona）因其民族植物学特性，尤其是预防和治疗疟疾的能力，而对人类具有重要价值。然而，热带安第斯山脉地区金鸡纳属植物的分布曾发生过历史变迁，此类变迁至今仍未被记录在案。18世纪末至19世纪初，多位探险家记录了金鸡纳属植物在现今哥伦比亚与厄瓜多尔境内的精确分布点位；这两个国家拥有该属约半数的物种，其中包括药用金鸡纳（C. officinalis）。本研究通过对比历史记录与20世纪的观测记录，评估了两个时期内该属植物的海拔分布范围、平均海拔及纬度是否存在差异。研究结果显示，金鸡纳属植物的平均海拔升高了662.5米，而药用金鸡纳的海拔分布范围则扩大了792.5米。上述发现对具有经济价值的物种保护工作具有参考意义，同时有助于我们理解人类世（Anthropocene）随时间推移所产生的影响。