Characteristic and representativeness of the vertical vegetation zonation along the altitudinal gradient in Shennongjia Natural Heritage

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2017.0092

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Mountains contain broad environmental gradients, which are to be an outstanding universal value representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of zonal vegetation along the elevation gradients. Exploring the biological and ecological value of the vegetation zonation along the elevation gradients of Chinese mountain natural heritage site is important for biodiversity conservation and management.
Methods Based on the community survey data of the six vegetation zonation along the elevational gradients in Shennongjia, the global land use dataset, and the literature data of the communities along the altitudinal gradients of other natural heritage sites and the nominated world natural heritage sites in Oriental Deciduous Forest Biogeographic Province by Udvardy, we explored the outstanding universal value of the zonal vegetation along the altitude gradients by the methods of spatial analysis.
Important findings Shennongjia heritage site preserves the intact vegetation zonation of the typical Oriental Deciduous Forest Biogeographical Province in the Classification of the Biogeographical Provinces of the World by Udvardy, including evergreen broad-leaved forests (South Slope of the Heritage Site), evergreen deciduous broad-leaved mixed forests, deciduous broad-leaved forests, coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests, coniferous forests and subalpine shrub and meadow along the elevation gradients. The altitudinal zonation of vegetation in the Shennongjia heritage site represented a variety of bio-ecological processes, such as the turnover of the dominant trees along the altitudinal gradients, and is an outstanding example of the ongoing ecological processes occurring in the development of intact subtropical mixed broadleaved evergreen and deciduous forest in the Northern Hemisphere.

http://jtp.cnki.net/bilingual/detail/html/ZWSB201711001

Key words: elevation gradient, zonal vegetation, evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest, Oriental Deciduous Biogeographic Province, integrity

Ming-Zhe MA, Guo-Zhen SHEN, Gao-Ming XIONG, Chang-Ming ZHAO, Wen-Ting XU, You-Bing ZHOU, Zong-Qiang XIE. Characteristic and representativeness of the vertical vegetation zonation along the altitudinal gradient in Shennongjia Natural Heritage[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2017, 41(11): 1127-1139.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2017.0092

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2017/V41/I11/1127

Figures/Tables 5

Table 1 Overview of Shennongjia and its counterparts in the same latitude

国家 Country	地区 Area	植被类型 Vegetation type	位置 Location	海拔 Altitude (m)	年平均气温 Mean annual temperature (℃)	年降水量 Mean annual precipitation (mm)	优势种 Dominant species	土壤类型 Soil type
中国 China	神农架 Shennongjia	常绿落叶阔叶混交林 Evergreen deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest	31.27° N, 110.48° E	1 670	10.6	1 200	米心水青冈, 青冈 Fagus engleriana, Cyclobalanopsis glauca	山地黄棕壤 Mountain yellow brown soil
日本 Japan	本州南部低地, 四国, 九州和琉球群岛的北部 The southern lowlands of Honshu, north part of Shikoku, Kyushu and Ryuryu	常绿阔叶林 Evergreen broad-leaved forest	26.58°-35.5° N, 130°- 140° E	250-1 100	13-21	1 300-2 500	Castanopsis cuspidata, C. cuspidate var. sieboldii, Quercus salicina, Q. acuta, Q. sessilifolia, Machilus thunbergii	棕壤 Brown soil
法国、意大利、西班牙、希腊 France, Italy, Spain, and Greece,	地中海沿岸 Mediterranean	硬叶常绿阔叶林 Sclerophyllous evergreen broad-leaved forest	30.25°- 45.83° N, 0°-30° E	300-2 800	16-20	300-1 000	Quercus coccifera, Q. ilex, Q. suber, Pistacia lentiscus	红壤和黄壤 Red soil and yellow soil
美国 USA	大烟山 Great Smoky Mountains	温带阔叶林 Temperate broad-leaved forest	35.6° N, 83.48° W	1 830	12	1 270-2 030	Quercus borealis, Tilia heterophylla, Betula alleghenicnsis, Acer rubrum	山地棕壤 Mountain brown soil
北非 North Africa	撒哈拉沙漠北部 North of the Sahara Desert	荒漠 Desert	25°-35° N, 15°W-50° E	-	>30	90-450	金合欢属, 蒿属, 三芒草属, 画眉草属, 稷属 Acacia, Artemisia, Aristida, Eragrostis, Panicum	石漠(岩漠)、砾漠和沙漠 Rock desert (rock desert), gravel desert and desert

Fig. 1 The distribution of evergreen deciduous broad-leaved mixed forests (red areas) along the belt of 30°-35° N in the Northern Hemisphere.

Fig. 2 The distribution of main plant formations in Shennongjia along the elevation gradient. Capital English letters represent vertical vegetation zones: A, subtropical zone of evergreen broad-leaved forest; B, north subtropical zone of Mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest; C, warm temperate zone of broadleaved deciduous forest; D, temperate zone of mixed broadleaf-conifer forest; E, cold temperate zone of coniferous forest; F, subalpine zone of shrub meadow. The abscissa represents different formations: 1, Form. Chimonanthus praecox; 2, Form. Phoebe zhennan, Cyclobalanopsis gracilis; 3, Form. Coriaria sinica, Cotinus coggyqria var. pubescens; 4, Form. Pinus massoniana, Quercus variabilis; 5, Form. Cunninghamia lanceolata; 6, Form. Quercus variabilis; 7, Form. Lindera communis, Cyclobalanopsis gracilis, Platycarya strobilacea, Betula luminifera; 8, Form. Pinus massoniana; 9, Form. Quercus acrodonta; 10, Form. Cyclobalanopsis oxyodon, Sycopsis chinense, Quercus engleriana, Cyclobanopsis myrsinaefolia; 11, Form. Quercus philyraeoides, Q. acrodonta, Carpinus sp., Platycarya strobilacea; 12, Form. Juglans cathayensis; 13, Form. Quercus variabilis, Q. aliena var. acuteserrata, Castanea segyinii; 14, Form. Quercus engleriana, Cyclobalanopsis oxyodon, Betula luminifera, Platycarya strobilacea; 15, Form. Quercus spinosa; 16, Form. Quercus glandulifera var. brevipetiolata; 17, Form. Castanea seguinii; 18, Form. Pinus henryi; 19, Form. Betula luminifera, Platycarya strobilacea, Carpinus sp.; 20, Form. Pinups armandii, Betula utilis; 21, Form. Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata; 22, Form. Abies chensiensis; 23, Form. Corylus heterophylla var. sutchuenensis, Viburnum opulus var. calvescens, Malus hupehensis; 24, Form. Carex sp., Sanguisorba officinalis var. longifolia, Anaphalis sinica, Geranium henryi; 25, Form. Rhus verniciflua, Quercus acutidentata, Cornus controversa, Platycarya strobilacea; 26, Form. Miscanthus sinensis, Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum; 27, Form. Lespedeza formosa, L. buergeri; 28, Form. Carex sp., Juncus concinus, Sanguisorba officicnalis var. longifolia, Chamaenerion angustifolium; 29, Form. Pinus armandii, Querus aliena var. acuteserrata; 30, Form. Pinus armandii; 31, Form. Fagus engleriana; 32, Form. Abies chensiensis, Picea wilsonii; 33, Form. Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata, Fagus engleriana, Betula albosinensis; 34, Form. Betula albosinensis; 35, Form. Pinus armandii, Populus davidiana, Betula albosinensis; 36, Form. Pinus armandii, Populus davidiana; 37, Form. Salix carprea var. inica, Crataegus wilsonii, Sorbus hupehensis; 38, Form. Abies fargesii, Betula albosinensis, Acer sp.; 39, Form. Salix cupularis; 40, Form. Berberis dasystachya; 41, Form. Sinarundinaria nitida; 42, Form. Cotoneaster horizontalis; 43, Form. Abies fargesii; 44, Form. Rhododendron fargesii; 45, Form. Sabina pingii var. wilsonii; 46, Form. Trisetum clarkei, Festuca rubra, Deyeuxia scabrescens. Formation distribution along the elevation was based on Tian (2002).

Fig. 3 Sketch map of Shennongjia mountain. A, Shennongding, the summit of the heritage site with the elevation of 3 106.2 m; B, Xiaguping, the lowest point of the south slope of the heritage site with the elevation of 400 m; C, Hanjiaping, the lowest point of the north slope of the heritage site with the elevation of 600 m.

Table 2 The altitudinal vegetation zonation of the Eastern Deciduous Forest Biogeographic Province in the Classification of the Biogeographical Provinces of the World by Udvardy

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