Abstract:

Ostryopsis davidiana shrubland is one of the most important types of deciduous broad-leaved shrublands that widely occur on mountain sites in northern and northwestern China. Determination of the distribution and characteristics of the O. davidiana communities helps facilitate the biodiversity conservation and establishment of eco-safety buffer on the Mongolian Plateau. In this study, we investigated the O. davidiana shrubland communities across 37 sites in Nei Mongol, and identified the community characteristics, including species composition, ecological traits and classification of O. davidiana alliance based on site survey data collected during 2016-2020. A total of 300 vascular species, belonging to 158 genera from 52 families, were recorded, consisting 298 angiosperm species belonging to 156 genera from 50 families and 2 fern species belonging to 2 genera from 2 families. Perennial herbs are the dominant life form, accounting for 73% of the total species, and mesophytes are the dominant water ecological type, accounting for 65% of the total species. Temperate plants contributed largely to the geographical floristic composition, with majority of the species being East Palaearctic, followed by East Asia element. Most of plant species in the O. davidiana communities were rare species. Based on the survey data, the O. davidiana alliance in Nei Mongol could be divided into 3 association groups and 17 associations.

Key words: Ostryopsis davidiana, shrubland, community characteristics, Nei Mongol