Biodiv Sci ›› 2014, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (3): 337-347.  DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1003.2014.13186

Special Issue: 青藏高原生物多样性与生态安全

• Marine Biodiversity Special Feature • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Plant species-richness and association with environmental factors in the riparian zone of the Yarlung Zangbo River of Tibet, China

La Qiong1,2, Zhaxi Ciren1, Weidong Zhu1, Min Xu1, Yang Zhong1,2,*()   

  1. 1. Institute of Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000
    2. Department of Evolution & Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433
  • Received:2013-08-13 Accepted:2014-04-13 Online:2014-05-20 Published:2014-06-04
  • Contact: Zhong Yang

Abstract:

Studying patterns of species richness and their causal factors remain important topics in ecology. How species composition, richness and vegetation type change along environmental gradients within the riparian zone of Yarlung Zangbo River have been relatively little studied. Here, a total of 90 plots (6 plots×15 altitudinal transects) were sampled along an altitudinal gradient within this riparian zone. A total of 238 species of vascular plants were recorded, and results of a Detrended Correspondence Analysis indicated that both altitude and longitude play important roles in determining species composition. Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed that the 90 plots could be divided into five vegetation types, and that these vegetation types were affected most by altitude and longitude. We found a slightly inverted U-shaped relationship between species richness and altitude and longitude. Species richness was positively correlated with precipitation and vegetation cover.

Key words: environmental factor, vegetation type, altitude, longitude, precipitation, vegetation cover