CollectHomepage AdvertisementContact usMessage

Arid Land Geography ›› 2021, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (5): 1427-1437.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000–6060.2021.05.23

• Biology and Pedology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Structural characteristics and diversity of typical shrub communities in Qilian Mountains

MA Jian1,2,3(),LIU Xiande1,2,3,HE Xiaoling4(),WANG Shunli1,3,HE Yongyan1,3,WU Xiurong1,3,ZHAO Jingzhong1,3,MA Xue'e1,3   

  1. 1. Academy of Water Resources Conservation Forests in Qilian Mountains of Gansu Province, Zhangye 734000, Gansu, China
    2. College of Forestry, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    3. International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Forest Ecological Monitoring and Assessment in Qilian Mountain, Gansu Province, Zhangye 734000, Gansu, China
    4. College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Northwest A & F University, Xianyang 712100, Shaanxi, China
  • Received:2020-12-15 Revised:2021-04-16 Online:2021-09-25 Published:2021-09-22
  • Contact: Xiaoling HE E-mail:405153416@qq.com;xiaolinghe@nwafu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Shrub community is an essential part of the forest ecosystem in Qilian Mountains, playing an indispensable role in maintaining ecological security in Northwestern China. The systematic study of shrub community structure is important for clarifying the renewal succession and stability of the shrub community. This can provide fundamental data and a scientific basis for protecting, restoring, and reconstructing the forest ecosystem in Qilian Mountains. In this study, we selected five typical shrub communities, including Caragana tangutica, Berberis diaphana, Potentilla fruticosa, Caragana jubata, and Salix gilashanica. They were distributed in the Dayekou watershed of Qilian Mountains and selected as the research topic. The species composition, life form compositions, and species diversity of five typical shrub communities were studied by field investigation and indoor analysis. The results showed that (1) The composition of shrub communities was relatively simple in the northern piedmont of central Qilian Mountains. Only 48 species belong to 38 genera and 26 families, but most plants belong to Rosaceae, Gramineae, Compositae, and Leguminosae, which are characteristic families in the arid region of northwest China. (2) In the life form of five typical shrub communities, the proportion of ground bud plants was the largest (37.09%), and the proportion of aboveground buds was the least (4.00%). (3) Overall, the Shannon-Weiner diversity index and Simpson's diversity index ranged from 1.12 to 2.26 and 0.60 to 0.74 of shrub communities, respectively. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index of different shrub communities showed Potentilla fruticose>Caragana jubata>Berberis diaphana>Caragana tangutica>Salix gilashanica. The Simpson's diversity index of different shrub communities showed Potentilla fruticose>Caragana jubata>Salix gilashanica>Berberis diaphana>Caragana tangutica. (4) Different habitat conditions lead to differences in the interstratum structure of community diversity, except for the Caragana jubata community, where the diversity index is herb layer>shrub layer. In contrast, the species diversity index of the shrub and herb layers in the Caragana jubata community is relatively similar, and the species composition of shrubs and herbs is homogeneous.

Key words: shrub communities, species diversity, structural characteristics, life form, Qilian Mountains