神农架自然遗产地植被垂直带谱的特点和代表性

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

充分认识并掌握我国自然遗产地山地植被垂直带谱代表性,对正确评估自然遗产地的价值进而制定相关保护管理政策具有重要的科学意义和现实意义。该研究基于群落调查数据、全球1 km^2土地利用数据,通过对比分析、空间分析等方法,从植被垂直带谱的地带性、完整性及不同垂直带群落物种更替等角度,分析论证了神农架自然遗产地植被垂直带谱的代表性。结果显示:神农架自然遗产地从低海拔到高海拔依次发育有常绿阔叶林带(遗产地南坡)、常绿落叶阔叶混交林带、落叶阔叶林带、针阔混交林带、针叶林带及亚高山灌丛和草甸带,其北坡保存的地带性常绿落叶阔叶混交林是北半球常绿落叶阔叶混交林生态系统的最典型代表。神农架自然遗产地拥有的植被垂直带谱是"全球生物地理区划"中东方落叶林生物地理省最完整的植被垂直带谱,在东方落叶林生物地理省具有唯一性和代表性,在较小的水平距离范围内浓缩了中亚热带、北亚热带、暖温带、温带和寒温带等生态系统特征,成为研究全球气候变化下山地生态系统垂直分异规律及其生态学过程的杰出范例,具有突出的世界自然遗产价值。

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 zonafion 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.