The principles and scheme of vegetation classification system of China (China-VCS) were first proposed by Hou in China’s Vegetation in 1960. An improved hierarchy framework and criteria of China-VCS were published in Vegetation of China in 1980. China-VCS was revised in Vegetation of China and Its Geographic Pattern — Illustration of the Vegetation Map of the People’s Republic of China (1:1 000 000) in 2007 and in Flora and Vegetation Geography of China in 2014. Song proposed a new scheme in the text book Vegetation Ecology in 2017. To facilitate Chinese vegetation study and the compilation of the book series on the vegetation of China (Vegegraphy of China), this paper provides a revised scheme of China-VCS. The scheme adopts the principles, units and hierarchy structure in the Vegetation of China that was considered as a milestone in the development of Chinese vegetation science. Based on the phytocoenological-ecological principles, plant community features and its ecological conditions are considered as the key criteria for vegetation classification. There are three levels including eight units in the hierarchy framework of China-VCS: upper level (Vegetation Formation Group, Vegetation Formation, and Vegetation Subformation), middle level (Alliance Group, Alliance, Suballiance), and lower level (Association Group, Association). Nine Vegetation Formation Groups are defined as Forest, Shrubland, Herbaceous Vegetation (Grassland), Desert, Alpine Tundra and Sparse Vegetation, Swamp and Aquatic Vegetation (Wetlands), Agricultural Vegetation, Urban Vegetation, and Non-vegetated Area. Forty-eight Vegetation Formations (30 for natural and semi-natural vegetation, 12 for agricultural vegetation, 5 for urban vegetation, and one for Non-vegetated Area) are defined, including 81 Vegetation Subformations from 23 natural and semi-natural vegetation formations. These vegetation formation groups and 30 natural and semi-natural vegetation formations were described briefly. Some issues on China-VCS, especially on the framework, criterion identifying mixed-forest, and the role of soil in vegetation classification, are discussed.

为了推动《中国植被志》研编工作, 该文回顾了中国植被分类系统的发展过程和主要阶段性成果, 提出了作为《中国植被志》研编技术框架组成部分的中国植被分类系统修订方案, 对各植被型组及各植被型进行了简单定义和描述, 并针对中国植被分类系统若干问题, 特别就中国植被分类系统总体框架、混交林的界定以及土壤在植被分类中的重要性等问题进行了讨论。1960年侯学煜在《中国的植被》中首次提出了中国植被分类的原则和系统, 1980年出版的《中国植被》制定了分类等级和划分依据等更加完善的系统, 之后《中国植被及其地理格局——中华人民共和国1:1 000 000植被图说明书》和《中国植物区系与植被地理》以及很多省区的植被专著对该系统进行过修订。2017年宋永昌在《植被生态学》中提出了一个分类等级单位调整的方案。本次提出的中国植被分类系统修订方案基本沿用《中国植被》的植被分类原则、分类单位及系统, 采用“植物群落学-生态学”分类原则, 主要以植物群落特征及其与环境的关系作为分类依据, 包含三级主要分类单位, 即植被型(高级单位)、群系(中级单位)和群丛(低级单位); 在三个主要分类单位之上分别增加辅助单位植被型组、群系组和群丛组, 在植被型和群系之下主要根据群落的生态差异和实际需要可再增加植被亚型或亚群系。修订方案包含了森林、灌丛、草本植被(草地)、荒漠、高山冻原与稀疏植被、沼泽与水生植被(湿地)、农业植被、城市植被和无植被地段9个植被型组, 划分为48个植被型(含30个自然植被型、12个农业植被型、5个城市植被型和无植被地段)。自然植被中有23个植被型进一步划分出了81个植被亚型。

Investigations of structure in ecological communities need to move beyond the dichotomy between niche and neutral theory to broader conceptual frameworks that accommodate both neutral stochastic and biological structuring processes in organizing species assemblages. We propose and test a framework that integrates niche and neutral-assembly perspectives and determines their relative contributions in structuring diverse shrub species assemblages in a parkland savanna. Our approach proposes that stochastic dispersal processes initially govern the assemblage of species in discrete shrub clusters developing in grassland, but that community structure subsequently develops through the progressive action of first positive, then negative interactions among species. A comparison of observed patterns of occurrence and niche models for 12 shrub cluster species against neutral predictions revealed that neutral stochastic, island biogeographic processes accounted for most patterns of species occurrence. One species showed strong evidence of successional differentiation, whereas evidence of slight recruitment biases for five others was equivocal. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of an approach that accommodates contributions of both neutral and niche assembly rather than assuming either process alone is sufficient to account for community structure. Further development and testing of robust and falsifiable neutral theory will allow ecologists to critically evaluate the relative roles of niche differentiation and neutral, stochastic processes in structuring communities.

Vegegraphy, a compound word of prefix “vege-” of “vegetation” and suffix of “-graphy” (description), is a series of monographs that describe species composition, structures, functions, distribution and environmental settings of a set of plant communities and/or their combinations. The Vegegraphy of China, which will be composed of 48 volumes and about 110 issues, is the first version to describe the medium-level units (Alliance Group, Alliance) and the lower-level units (Association Group, Association), and summarizes the higher-level units (Vegetation Formation Group, Vegetation Formation, Vegetation Subformation) in the Chinese Vegetation Classification System. The description of the higher-level units is highly generalized, mainly based on the data and evidences from the classification and description of the medium- and the lower-level classification units of the Chinese vegetation classification system, focusing on the geographic distribution, natural environment, community physiognomy, vegetation type and diversity, dominant species, values for biodiversity conservation, and the status of current vegetation resources at the scales of both worldwide and China. It is an important revision and expansion of the relevant content of Vegetation of China (1980) and will be the most authoritative and accurate description of the basic characteristics of Chinese vegetation. Alliance Group in each issue is briefly described on geographical distribution, natural environment, vegetation types, significance and conservation etc. Alliance as a key medium- level unit is to be described on several aspects, i.e., geographical distribution, natural environment, ecological characteristics, vegetation composition, vegetation structure, vegetation types and characteristics, biological characteristics of dominant species, biomass and productivity, vegetation dynamics and succession, and significance and conservation. As a core content of the above mentioned aspects, vegetation classification and description are conducted under the guidance of the “80 scheme” of Vegetation of China, using vegetation survey data as credentials to quantitatively differentiate vegetation types accordingly. Specifically, a vegetation classification scheme is determined based on supraterraneous stratification, and a set of diagnostic species while vegetation descriptions focus on physiognomy, community structure, species composition, including quantitative features of dominant species, companion species, constant species and accidental species, as well as their environmental preferences. In this study, we first put forward a code of vegetation nomenclature for the medium-level units (Alliance Group, Alliance) and the lower-level units (Association Group, Association) in the Chinese Vegetation Classification System. According to this vegetation nomenclature, the name of a vegetation type is composed of the name of a diagnostic species (may also be a dominant species) of each layer of the vegetation type and the name of the higher-level units (Vegetation Formation or Vegetation Formation Group) to which it belongs, which guarantees both scientific soundness and practical sense of the vegetation nomenclature. Contents and protocols for the research and editing of “Vegegraphy of China”, including vegetation survey and sample collection, literature compilation, climate, soil and topography data collection and compilation, vegetation classification, vegetation nomenclature, vegetation description outlines, are elaborated or exemplified in detail.

植被志是基于植被(或植物群落)调查资料, 全面记叙植被的外貌、物种组成、结构和功能, 以及地理分布和生境条件等特征, 并对同类植被进行归纳和总结的志书。《中国植被志》是第一部对中国植被进行全面记述的志书, 预计完成约48卷110册。在借鉴《中国植被》(1980)(简称“80方案”)植被分类基本原则的基础上,《中国植被志》将对中国植被分类系统的高级分类单位(植被型组、植被型和植被亚型)进行归纳和总结, 对中级和低级分类单位(群系组、群系、亚群系, 群丛组、群丛)进行详细描述。植被高级分类单位的描述具有概括性质, 是在中国植被分类系统中级和低级分类单位描述的基础上, 对其在全球和中国境内的地理分布、自然环境、群落外貌、植被类型及多样性、优势种或共优势种、生物多样性保育价值以及资源现状等进行概述, 并对“80方案”相关内容进行修订和拓展, 将提供对中国植被基本特征客观、准确的记述。在植被中级和低级分类单位中, 群系组描述的内容包括地理分布、自然环境、群落外貌、植被类型以及价值与保育等内容; 群系描述的主要内容包括地理分布、自然环境、生态特征、物种组成、群落结构、群丛组和群丛的分类与描述、优势种的生物学特性、生物量与生产力、植被动态与演替以及价值与保育等方面。作为植被志研编的核心内容, 群丛组和群丛的分类与描述主要基于植被调查资料, 采用数量分类方法, 根据群落结构和物种组成的差异划分出不同的植被类型, 并对其基本特征进行定量描述和归纳。其中, 群落的层片结构、特定植被分类单元的特征种或特征种组的筛选与甄别是植被类型划分的关键环节; 而群落外貌, 群落结构, 物种组成, 各类物种的生长习性、生境的偏适性等是群丛组和群丛描述与归纳的重点内容。该文提出了中国植被中级和低级分类单位的命名方案, 其特点在于植被类型的科学名称中同时体现了植被分类单元特征种或优势种的名称及其所属的高级植被分类单位(植被型组或植被型)的名称, 兼顾了植被名称的规范性与实用性。《中国植被志》的研编工作由文献整编、群落调查、数据分析与整理、文本撰写等环节组成。该文对植被样方的调查与收集, 文献收集与整编, 气候、土壤、地形等相关数据的来源及其整理方法, 植被分类方法, 植被命名, 植被分类单元描述的内容, 植被志章节编写大纲、体裁及撰写等多个规范进行了详细的阐述或示例。

Aims Shrubland is one of the most widely distributed vegetation types in northern China. Previous studies on pattern and dynamics of plant biomass have been focused on forest and grassland ecosystems, while relevant knowledge on shrubland ecosystems is lacking. It is important to include shrublands in northern China to improve the accuracy in estimating the terrestrial ecosystem biomass in China. Methods Based on investigations and samplings from 433 shrubland sites, we explored the distribution and allocation patterns of biomass in relation to climatic and soil nutrient factors of shrublands of temperate China. Important findings The average shrubland biomass density in northern China is 12.5 t·hm-2. It decreases significantly from temperate deciduous shrubland in northeast to desert shrubland in northwest. The average biomass density of temperate deciduous shrubland, alpine shrubland, and desert shrubland is 14.4, 28.8, and 5.0 t·hm-2, respectively. Within temperate deciduous shrublands, plant biomass is lower in North China than in Northeast China. The average aboveground and belowground biomass density of shrub layer is 4.5 and 5.4 t·hm-2, respectively; while that of grass layer is 0.8 and 1.8 t·hm-2, respectively. Environmental factors affect biomass allocation across different plant organs. The belowground-aboveground biomass ratio of shrub exhibits no significant changes with environmental variables. The leaf-stem ratio increases with annual precipitation, and leaf biomass is low in arid region.

目前对植物生物量分布格局和分配的研究多集中在森林和草地生态系统, 对灌丛的相关研究较少。灌丛是中国北方广泛分布的植被。研究灌丛生物量分布格局及其分配是对估算我国陆地生态系统碳库的重要补充。该文通过对中国北方温带灌丛的大范围野外调查和采样, 计算中国北方433个典型灌丛样地的生物量及其在各器官间的分配, 并研究它们与气候和土壤营养等环境因子的关系。结果表明: 中国北方温带灌丛平均生物量为12.5 t·hm^-2, 其中灌木层地上、地下生物量分别为4.5和5.4 t·hm^-2, 草本层地上、地下生物量分别为0.8和1.8 t·hm^-2; 凋落物量为2.5 t·hm^-2。不同类型中, 温带落叶灌丛、亚高山落叶阔叶灌丛、荒漠灌丛平均生物量分别为14.4、28.8和5.0 t·hm^-2。东西部生物量分布差异较大, 东部温带落叶灌丛总生物量高于西部的荒漠灌丛。东部温带落叶灌丛中, 东北地区的灌丛生物量稍低于华北地区。灌木的地下-地上生物量比不随水分和土壤养分变化, 而叶-枝生物量比受水分影响, 在干旱区域叶-枝生物量比较低。