Biodiversity Features of the Main Steppe Communities in Inner Mongolia and their Relations to Climate and Grazing

LI YONGHONG

1. Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044
• Online:1993-08-20 Published:2013-01-14

Abstract:

One hundred steppe communities were investigated on climate gradients in the central Inner Mongolia. The main communities were dominanted by Stipa gobica, S. breviflora, S. krylovii, S. grandis, S.
baicalensis
, Aneurole pidium chinense. Filifolium sibiruutn and Festuca dahurica, etc. . Their species diversity features were analyzed in relation to climate factors and grazing intensities. The results showed that species richness (S) in steppe communities was positively correlated with precipitation (S = — 5. 1 • e0.00627P; r = 0. 85, p = 0. 001), but negatively with temperature (T) (S = 50. 9 • e -0.225T; r = 0. 92, p< 0. 001 ). The species richness decreased as climate aridity (A) increased (S = — 41. 81 + 48. 03 e1/A, p< 0. 001). The communitie diversity had similar tendence of change with species richness along climate gradient. The highest diversity always appeared at moderate level of grazing intensity for a certain commuity. which was due to the prevention of exclusive competition of species by moderate grazing. An integrated schematic model on the relationship of community diversity with climate aridity and stocking rate was proposed.