%A Ke Guo, Changcheng Liu, Qingmin Pan %T Methods of observing typical plant communities in the Steppe and Desert Biodiversity Observation Network, Sino BON %0 Journal Article %D 2016 %J Biodiv Sci %R 10.17520/biods.2016190 %P 1220-1226 %V 24 %N 11 %U {https://www.biodiversity-science.net/CN/abstract/article_8852.shtml} %8 2016-11-20 %X

A typical plant community that reflects the basic community characteristics of a vegetation classification unit can be designated as the standard for describing a distinct vegetation type. The Steppe and Desert Biodiversity Observation Network of Sino BON aims to establish a series of typical plant community plots for long-term biodiversity observations using standardized methods. This paper emphasizes the importance of plant community observations for the study of biodiversity, defines the concept of a typical plant community, and introduces a system of typical plant community observations including the framework, primary observations, methods, parameters, and predictable output.