A dataset on the plant growth form and life form of vascular plants in China

doi:10.17520/biods.2023468

Abstract

Abstract:

Plant growth form and life form are important morphological traits for understanding the response and adaptation of plants to environmental changes and are of great significance for the study of the relationship between plants and their environment and ecosystem functions. They are also vital traits in understanding of the geographic distribution pattern of plants and the mechanism of the formation and maintenance of biodiversity. According to the Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae and Flora of China, the descriptions of plant growth form and life form in the current edition of Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae are characterized by non-uniform classification standards, in which some of the information is missing, incorrect or ambiguous. In this paper, based on the information of plant traits in national and local flora literature and field surveys, we revised the growth form and life form traits of vascular plants, and established a dataset of the growth form and life form of vascular plants in China. The dataset consists of 35,329 vascular plant species, including plant names, growth form and life form traits, and their data sources. The plant names included names both from the Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae, Flora of China, and from the Catalogue of Life China: 2023 Annual Checklist, to allow the readers to cross-check the differences between both taxonomic systems. Based on the degree of stem lignification, plants were classified into two groups: woody plants (12,600 species, 35.7%) and herbaceous plants (22,729 species, 64.3%). The woody plants were primarily dominated by medium shrub growth form (2,917 species, 23.2%) and evergreen life form (7,107 species, 56.4%). The herbaceous plants were dominated by the forb growth form (19,900 species, 87.6%) and the perennial life form (19,554 species, 86.0%). Among the woody plants, tree species were dominated by the families Lauraceae and Fagaceae, and of shrub species by Ericaceae, Fabaceae, and Rosaceae; evergreen species were dominated by Ericaceae and deciduous species primarily consisted of Rosaceae. Among herbaceous growth form, the forbs were dominated by Asteraceae, and the grasses by Poaceae. The annual herbaceous plants were dominated by Poaceae, biennial species by Boraginaceae, and perennial species by Asteraceae. This dataset covers all the vascular plant species and their growth form and life form in China, and can provide a data foundation for the study of plant traits in future research endeavors.

Database/Dataset Profile

Title	A dataset on the plant growth form and life form of vascular plants in China
Data author(s)	Bohan Zheng, Xinyao Chen, Jian Ni
Data corresponding author	Jian Ni (nijian@zjnu.edu.cn)
Time range	1959-2023
Geographical scope	China
File size	7.58 MB
Data volume	Number of records in two file: 35,329
Data format	*.xlsx
Data link	https://www.scidb.cn/s/JZfIjm https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.10903 https://www.biodiversity-science.net/fileup/1005-0094/DATA/2023468.zip
Database/Dataset composition	The dataset consists of one data file and one data description file, data file including two work sheets: 1. A dataset on the plant growth form and life form of vascular plants in China (Chinese version); 2. A dataset on the plant growth form and life form of vascular plants in China (English version).

Key words: vascular plant, growth form, life form, plant traits

Bohan Zheng, Xinyao Chen, Jian Ni. A dataset on the plant growth form and life form of vascular plants in China[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2024, 32(7): 23468.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2023468

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2024/V32/I7/23468

Figures/Tables 2

References 32

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植物性状 Plant traits	一级分类单位 First-level classification unit	二级分类单位 Second-level classification unit	分类依据及定义 Rationale and definition
生长型 Growth form	木本 Woody	大乔木 Large tree	木质茎, 有明显主干和不同程度侧枝, 株高 > 25 m Woody stems, with a distinct trunk and varying degrees of lateral branches, plant height > 25 m
		中乔木 Medium tree	木质茎, 有明显主干和不同程度侧枝, 株高8-25 m Woody stems, with a distinct trunk and varying degrees of lateral branches, plant height 8-25 m
		小乔木 Small tree	木质茎, 有明显主干和不同程度侧枝, 株高5-8 m Woody stems, with a distinct trunk and varying degrees of lateral branches, plant height 5-8 m
		大灌木 Large shrub	木质茎, 无明显主干且分枝自基部开始, 株高2-5 m Woody stems, without a distinct trunk but with multi-stems from the base, plant height 2-5 m
		中灌木 Medium shrub	木质茎, 无明显主干且分枝自基部开始, 株高0.5-2 m Woody stems, without a distinct trunk but with multi-stems from the base, plant height 0.5-2 m
		矮小灌木 Small and dwarf shrub	木质茎, 无明显主干且分枝自基部开始, 株高 < 0.5 m Woody stems, without a distinct trunk but with multi-stems from the base, plant height < 0.5 m
		木质藤本 Woody liana	木质茎, 茎呈攀援或缠绕状 Woody stems, climbing or twining stems
	草本 Herb	杂类草 Forb	草质茎(除禾草、草质藤本和半灌木外的所有草本) Herbaceous stems (all herbs excluding grass, herbaceous vine, and semi-shrub)
		禾草 Grass	草质茎, 茎切面圆形, 叶片长条形, 叶脉平行 Herbaceous stems, orbicular stem cross-section, linear leaf blade, parallel veins
		草质藤本 Herbaceous vine	草质茎, 茎攀援或缠绕状 Herbaceous stems, climbing or twining stems
		半灌木 Semi-shrub	半木质茎 Semi-woody stem
生活型 Life form	木本 Woody	常绿 Evergreen	植株全年保持叶片 Green leaves throughout the year
		落叶 Deciduous	叶片在一年中的某一段时间内全部脱落 Leaves fall off completely at some time during the year
		半常绿 Semi-evergreen	叶片在适生环境下为常绿, 环境不适宜时为落叶; 或叶片在一年大部分时间里为常绿, 但每年4-5月雨季到来之前出现集中换叶期 Leaves are evergreen under suitable conditions and deciduous when conditions are unsuitable; or leaves are evergreen for most of the year, but there is a concentrated period of leaf replace before the onset of the rainy season in April-May of each year
	草本 Herb	一年生 Annual	在一个生长季节内完成一次开花结果的整个生活周期 Flowering and fruiting at once, completing the entire life cycle in one growing season
		二年生 Biennial	在两个生长季节内完成一次开花结果的整个生活周期 Flowering and fruiting at once, completing the entire life cycle in two growing seasons
		多年生 Perennial	多次开花结果, 生活周期在两年以上 Multiple flowering and fruiting with a growing period of more than two years

植物性状 Plant traits	一级分类单位 First-level classification unit	二级分类单位 Second-level classification unit	分类依据及定义 Rationale and definition
生长型 Growth form	木本 Woody	大乔木 Large tree	木质茎, 有明显主干和不同程度侧枝, 株高 > 25 m Woody stems, with a distinct trunk and varying degrees of lateral branches, plant height > 25 m
		中乔木 Medium tree	木质茎, 有明显主干和不同程度侧枝, 株高8-25 m Woody stems, with a distinct trunk and varying degrees of lateral branches, plant height 8-25 m
		小乔木 Small tree	木质茎, 有明显主干和不同程度侧枝, 株高5-8 m Woody stems, with a distinct trunk and varying degrees of lateral branches, plant height 5-8 m
		大灌木 Large shrub	木质茎, 无明显主干且分枝自基部开始, 株高2-5 m Woody stems, without a distinct trunk but with multi-stems from the base, plant height 2-5 m
		中灌木 Medium shrub	木质茎, 无明显主干且分枝自基部开始, 株高0.5-2 m Woody stems, without a distinct trunk but with multi-stems from the base, plant height 0.5-2 m
		矮小灌木 Small and dwarf shrub	木质茎, 无明显主干且分枝自基部开始, 株高 < 0.5 m Woody stems, without a distinct trunk but with multi-stems from the base, plant height < 0.5 m
		木质藤本 Woody liana	木质茎, 茎呈攀援或缠绕状 Woody stems, climbing or twining stems
	草本 Herb	杂类草 Forb	草质茎(除禾草、草质藤本和半灌木外的所有草本) Herbaceous stems (all herbs excluding grass, herbaceous vine, and semi-shrub)
		禾草 Grass	草质茎, 茎切面圆形, 叶片长条形, 叶脉平行 Herbaceous stems, orbicular stem cross-section, linear leaf blade, parallel veins
		草质藤本 Herbaceous vine	草质茎, 茎攀援或缠绕状 Herbaceous stems, climbing or twining stems
		半灌木 Semi-shrub	半木质茎 Semi-woody stem
生活型 Life form	木本 Woody	常绿 Evergreen	植株全年保持叶片 Green leaves throughout the year
		落叶 Deciduous	叶片在一年中的某一段时间内全部脱落 Leaves fall off completely at some time during the year
		半常绿 Semi-evergreen	叶片在适生环境下为常绿, 环境不适宜时为落叶; 或叶片在一年大部分时间里为常绿, 但每年4-5月雨季到来之前出现集中换叶期 Leaves are evergreen under suitable conditions and deciduous when conditions are unsuitable; or leaves are evergreen for most of the year, but there is a concentrated period of leaf replace before the onset of the rainy season in April-May of each year
	草本 Herb	一年生 Annual	在一个生长季节内完成一次开花结果的整个生活周期 Flowering and fruiting at once, completing the entire life cycle in one growing season
		二年生 Biennial	在两个生长季节内完成一次开花结果的整个生活周期 Flowering and fruiting at once, completing the entire life cycle in two growing seasons
		多年生 Perennial	多次开花结果, 生活周期在两年以上 Multiple flowering and fruiting with a growing period of more than two years