Chin J Plant Ecol ›› 2016, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (9): 952-957.DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2015.0454

• Data Paper • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Characteristics of plant communities containing rare conifers in Poyang Lake Basin, China

Quan FANG, Yi-Zhen LIU, Gang GE*()   

  1. School of Life Science, Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330022, China
  • Received:2015-12-10 Accepted:2016-05-09 Online:2016-09-10 Published:2016-09-29
  • Contact: Gang GE

Abstract:

The endangerment mechanism of rare conifer species is a very critical problem in conservation biodiversity. Thus, the studies on the protection of the rare and endangered coniferous trees have received extensive attention. The objective of this study was to understand the survival and distribution of the rare coniferous tree species in natural forests of the Poyang Lake Basin. Field investigations on plant communities were conducted in 21 plots from Oct. 2014 to Oct. 2015. These plots were distributed in the Nanling Mountains, Luoxiao Mountains, Wuyi Mountains, Huangshan Mountains, and Jiuling Mountain. The dimensions of each plot were 20 m × 20 m. Community species composition and quantitative characteristics in each plot were recorded. The importance values of trees, shrubs and herbs were computed, respectively. The community types and structural properties were analyzed. A total of 23 sets of community sampling data were obtained in details. A number of 11 species of rare conifers were found in 14 different formations. Rare conifer trees mainly occurred in the communities as co-edificatos or companion species. The formations included Form. Taxus wallichiana var. mairei, Form. Pseudotsuga sinensis, Form. Fokienia hodginsii and Form. Torreya grandis, where the dominant species was coniferous trees. In conclusion, our study provides valuable field investigation data of rare coniferous in Poyang Lake basin, which could provide insight into the protection and management of these species.

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Key words: Poyang Lake basin, rare coniferous, community structure, plots data