Plant diversity and species replacement in Chinese Buddhist temples

doi:10.17520/biods.2019392

Abstract

Abstract:

Buddhism is one of the main religions in China. As the material carrier of Buddhist culture, Buddhist temples play an important role in preserving regional biodiversity. In this study, we cataloged the tree species in 191 temples across China. Then, we analyzed the species composition, geographical distribution pattern, and the impact factors of Buddhist tree species distribution in different regions to clarify the role of temples in biodiversity conservation. The results showed that: (1) From across 191 temples, we observed a total of 1,059 tree species, belonging to 116 families and 410 genera with most species (n = 773) occurred in only one or two temples. (2) Temple gardens were rich in native and threatened tree species (n = 94), and thus, are of high biodiversity conservation value. (3) The tree species composition of Buddhist temples in different climatic zones was quite different. (4) Tree species across temples had a distinct replacement phenomenon where original Buddhist tree species were gradually replaced by native species similar to the native flora, from south to north. The above results suggest that Chinese temples have very rich plant resource and that their effective protection may play a positive role in maintaining regional biodiversity and improving urban greening.

Key words: temple gardens, Buddhist tree species, Buddhist tree species replacement, biodiversity conservation

Xinyang Wang, Cheng Jin, Li Huang, Lihua Zhou, Mingming Zheng, Shenhua Qian, Yongchuan Yang. Plant diversity and species replacement in Chinese Buddhist temples[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2020, 28(6): 668-677.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2019392

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2020/V28/I6/668

Figures/Tables 8

Fig. 1 Map of China showing the 191 Buddhist temples in this study. SS, Tropical and southern subtropical zone; MS, Middle subtropical zone; NS, Northern subtropical zone; WT, Warm temperate zone; MT, Middle temperate zone; PT, Plateau temperate zone.

Table 1 Number of tree species in the top 10 families and genera in 191 Buddhist temples

科 Family	种数 No. of species	属 Genus	种数 No. of species
蔷薇科 Rosaceae	110	枫属 Acer	25
壳斗科 Fagaceae	45	卫矛属 Euonymus	19
樟科 Lauraceae	45	榕属 Ficus	19
豆科 Fabaceae	44	杜鹃花属 Rhododendron	18
木兰科 Magnoliaceae	34	山茶属 Camellia	17
山茶科 Theaceae	34	樱属 Cerasus	14
大戟科 Euphorbiaceae	33	松属 Pinus	14
桑科 Moraceae	28	蔷薇属 Rosa	13
木犀科 Oleaceae	28	悬钩子属 Rubus	13
槭树科Aceraceae	25	柳属 Salix	13

Table 2 The top 20 commonly used tree species and their Buddhist cultural values in 191 Buddhist temples

物种 Species	科 Family	频率 Frequency (%)	佛教文化含义 Buddhist cultural values
银杏 Ginkgo biloba	银杏科 Ginkgoaceae	48.2	菩提树替代树 Alternative tree species of Ficus religiosa
木犀 Osmanthus fragrans	木犀科 Oleaceae	32.5	-
圆柏 Juniperus chinensis	柏科 Cupressaceae	31.4	佛教香料植物 Buddhist aromatic plant
侧柏 Platycladus orientalis	柏科 Cupressaceae	29.8	佛教香料植物 Buddhist aromatic plant
槐 Sophora japonica	豆科 Fabaceae	29.3	-
樟 Cinnamomum camphora	樟科 Lauraceae	22.5	佛教香料植物 Buddhist aromatic plant
紫薇 Lagerstroemia indica	千屈菜科 Lythraceae	19.4	-
玉兰 Yulania denudata	木兰科 Magnoliaceae	18.3	山玉兰替代树 Alternative tree species of Lirianthe delavayi
蜡梅 Chimonanthus praecox	蜡梅科 Calycanthaceae	17.8	-
柏木 Cupressus funebris	柏科 Cupressaceae	16.2	佛教香料植物 Buddhist aromatic plant
雪松 Cedrus deodara	松科 Pinaceae	16.2	-
罗汉松 Podocarpus macrophyllus	罗汉松科 Podocarpaceae	14.7	种子象征修行僧 The seed symbolizes the image of monk
鸡爪枫 Acer palmatum	槭树科 Aceraceae	13.6	-
油松 Pinus tabuliformis	松科 Pinaceae	13.6	-
山茶 Camellia japonica	山茶科 Theaceae	13.1	象征禅宗清心寡欲 Symbolizing a pure heart and few desires in Dhyana’s thought
臭椿 Ailanthus altissima	苦木科 Simaroubaceae	12.6	-
南天竹 Nandina domestica	小檗科 Berberidaceae	12.6	寓意消灾除忧 Symbolizing the elimination of disaster and worry
杜鹃 Rhododendron simsii	杜鹃花科 Ericaceae	12.0	-
朴树 Celtis sinensis	榆科 Ulmaceae	12.0	-
石榴 Punica granatum	千屈菜科 Lythraceae	11.5	寓意小因大果 Symbolizing small cause making big fruit

Fig. 2 The species frequency of all species in 191 Buddhist temples (a) and the proportion of native tree species in different climatic zones (b). One-way ANOVA and multiple comparison analysis were used to compare the proportion of native tree species among the Buddhist temples in different climatic zones. The same letters above the boxes indicate insignificant difference (P = 0.17) based on multiple comparisons. The abbreviations of climatic zones are the same as Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 Geographical origins of Buddhist tree species in 191 Buddhist temples. (a) Original Buddhist tree species; (b) Alternative Buddhist tree species.

Fig. 4 The proportion of original Buddhist tree species (a) and Buddhist tree species (b) in different climatic zones. (a) Rank sum test and multiple comparison analysis were used to compare the proportion of original Buddhist tree species among the Buddhist temples in different climatic zones. (b) One-way ANOVA and multiple comparison analysis were used to compare the proportion of Buddhist tree species among the Buddhist temples in different climatic zones. The different letters above the boxes indicate significant difference (P < 0.01) and the same letter above the boxes indicate insignificant difference (P = 0.24), based on multiple comparisons. The abbreviations of climatic zones are the same as Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) with Simpson dissimilarity index (βSIM) depicting the relationship between the selected environmental variables and the variation of Buddhist tree species composition among different climatic zones. Circles and arrows indicate temples and environmental factors respectively. MAT, Mean annual temperature; AP, Annual precipitation. The abbreviations of climatic zones are the same as Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 Distribution of original Buddhist tree species and their alternative tree species. (a) Enlightenment, (b) Worry-free, (c) Nirvana, (d) Offering flowers.

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