Biodiv Sci ›› 2016, Vol. 24 ›› Issue (11): 1220-1226.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2016190

• Special Feature: Chinese Biodiversity Monitoring and Research Network (Sino BON) • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Methods of observing typical plant communities in the Steppe and Desert Biodiversity Observation Network, Sino BON

Ke Guo*(), Changcheng Liu, Qingmin Pan   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093
  • Received:2016-07-13 Accepted:2016-11-22 Online:2016-11-20 Published:2016-12-14
  • Contact: Guo Ke

Abstract:

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.

Key words: typical plant community, biodiversity, observation network, observation framework, observation approach