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资源科学 2013
Research on the Characteristics of Plant Communities in the Poyang Nanji Wetlands, China
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Abstract:
Wetland plants are an important component of wetland ecosystems. Ecological characteristics of wetland plant communities can comprehensively reflect the basic structure, functioning, and health status of an ecosystem. Most of previous research in the Poyang Nanji Wetlands has only qualitatively described responses of wetland plants to fluctuations in lake water levels. Quantitative studies in that ecosystem are still rare. In this paper, we report on quantitative studies that were conducted in the wetlands from October 2010 to February 2012. We conducted monthly surveys of spatial variations in, and distributions of plant community characteristics, and correlated such characteristics with fluctuations in lake water levels. Fifty-seven fixed quadrats at 3 Sub-lakes in the Poyang Wetlands were used. The surveys included individual counts and measurements of plant height, and plant phenological characteristics (germination percentage, flowering, and developmental stages, fruiting and withering state). Plant community composition and characteristics changed with the seasons and hydrological fluctuations in the wetlands. Plant communities had the following characteristics: (1) Biological: developed aerenchyma, strong clonal growth and reproductive capacity, special leaf type and structure for adapting to the aquatic environment, and diversification of life forms; (2) Floristic composition: rich species, complexity of the flora, diversity types, and strong herb plants (3) Community composition: eight major plant communities (4) Spatial distribution of plant communities: banded, mosaic or arc-shaped distribution along the water level and elevation gradient (5) Spatial distribution of plant communities: plant community composition and characteristics varied with the seasons and hydrological fluctuations. We also found that plant community characteristics varied with fluctuations (frequency and amplitude) in water levels of the lake.
