The study of modern pollen,and vegetation can improve the accuracy of paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on fossil pollen data.A total of 188 pollen surface samples were collected from Southern Xinjiang(34°0...The study of modern pollen,and vegetation can improve the accuracy of paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on fossil pollen data.A total of 188 pollen surface samples were collected from Southern Xinjiang(34°00’–43°00’N,74°00’–94°00’E)in China,with an elevation range of 888–4530 m.Surface pollen and vegetation were studied in the northern region of the Kunlun Mountains and the southern region of the Tianshan Mountains.The results showed that the surface pollen assemblages on the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains(3530–1124 m)were divided into three pollen zones,namely,montane steppe,montane desert steppe,and montane desert.These zones were dominated by Artemisia,Chenopodiaceae,and Ephedra pollen.The surface pollen assemblages in the eastern Pamir Plateau(4530–1287 m)could be divided into alpine meadow,montane desert steppe,and montane desert zones,which were predominantly characterized by Artemisia,Chenopodiaceae,and Asteraceae pollen.However,the Southern Tarim Basin(3548–888 m)comprised montane desert steppe and montane desert zones,which was dominated by Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae pollen.The geographic distribution of the surface pollen sites obtained using ArcGIS,the R-value,and Pearson correlation analyses indicated that the over-represented Picea and Pinus pollen were of external origin and were transported by wind,water(rivers),and ice(glacier movement).Over-representation of Ephedra and Nitraria pollen was mainly distributed in the montane desert and desert steppe zones,respectively.Pollen from Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia were over-represented and broadly distributed across Southern Xinjiang.Juglans pollen was concentrated in areas with walnut trees,strongly indicating the presence of local parent plants.According to the Hybrid Singleparticle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model,more Pinus pollen was transported to the Pamir region by external airflows during spring and summer,resulting in its higher surface pollen content.Research elucidating the relationship between modern pollen and vegetation in southern Xinjiang could provide data describing the surface palynological database of Xinjiang for use in large-scale paleoenvironmental reconstructions.展开更多
Aims As a unique geographical unit of the earth,the tibetan Plateau is extensively covered by various Stipa communities.However,their vegetation features have not been reported systematically till now,especially in so...Aims As a unique geographical unit of the earth,the tibetan Plateau is extensively covered by various Stipa communities.However,their vegetation features have not been reported systematically till now,especially in some scantily explored regions.In this study,we endeavor to reveal the community types,quantitative charac-teristics and climatic distribution patterns of Stipa steppes in these areas based on primary relevés obtained from fieldwork.Methods We collected a total of 223 plots in 79 study sites in the Changthang Plateau and the Yarlung Zangbo Valley,ranging from 79°E to 91°E.the categories of Stipa formations were identified according to the classification scheme in Vegetation of China and then verified by Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling.We performed detrended correspondence analysis and detrended canonical correspondence analysis to hunt for the alteration of Stipa communities along the precipitation gradient.Quantitative characteristics including species richness,coverage,biomass as well as importance values(IV)of dominant species were calcu-lated and visualized,respectively.Important Findings Stipa steppes in scantily explored regions of the tibetan Plateau are classified into 11 formations but major formations are rather limited in number.Formation(form.)Stipa purpurea is the most widespread Stipa assemblages not only in scantily explored regions but also across the whole tibetan Plateau.the characteristics of Stipa com-munities,including coverage,species richness,productivity and IV of dominant species,demonstrate the features of typical alpine steppes on the tibetan Plateau.Precipitation proves to be the prime climatic factor controlling the distribution patterns of Stipa assemblages.Form.Stipa subsessiliflora var.basiplumosa and form.Stipa glareosa normally distribute in arid habitats,but rainfall for the former is of greater variance.Form.Stipa roborowskyi and form.Stipa capillacea favor moderately moist environment.Form.Stipa purpurea and form.Stipa roborowskyi can tolerate a fairly broad range of precipitation.展开更多
Aims The latest China Vegetation Classification System(China-VCS)for natural/semi-natural vegetation has eight hierarchical levels:Association<Association-group<Subformation<Formation<Formation-group<Ve...Aims The latest China Vegetation Classification System(China-VCS)for natural/semi-natural vegetation has eight hierarchical levels:Association<Association-group<Subformation<Formation<Formation-group<Vegetation-subtype<Vegetation-type<Vegetation-type-group.The classification is based on dominant species and their growth forms and has been completed at the formation level.The principal challenge today in Chinese vegetation classification is to develop the China-VCS at levels below the formation in a way that is consistent with current international standards.We explored the following question:how can existing vegetation plot data help develop the China-VCS and improve its compatibility with other international classification systems?Methods We compiled 401 plots having plant cover and/or aboveground biomass measurements collected in six Stipa steppe formations and divided them into those with cover data(299 plots)and/or biomass data(283 plots).We applied a combination of hierarchical clustering and ordination to partition the cover and biomass data sets into formations and constituent associations.We then used supervised noise clustering to improve the classification and to identify the core plots representing each association.Diagnostic species were also identified at both association and formation levels.Finally,we compared the classification results based on cover and biomass data sets and combined these results into a comprehensive classification framework for the six formations.Important Findings Our results using cover data were comparable with those using biomass data at both formation and association levels.Three Stipa formations were classified into associations based on cover data,two based on biomass data and one based on both biomass and cover data.Twenty-seven associations were defined and proposed within the six formations,using cover or biomass data as consistent classification sections(CCSs).Both dominant species in the dominant stratum and diagnostic species from multiple strata of the core plots were used to characterize vegetation types at both formation and association levels,improving the compatibility of our classification with the International Vegetation Classification.Temperature and precipitation were found to be important climatic factors determining the distribution pattern and species composition of Stipa-dominated vegetation.We propose a framework for plotbased vegetation classification in the China-VCS,using our work with Stipa-dominated steppe vegetation as an example.We applied the concept of CCS to make optimal use of available data representing both plant cover and biomass.This study offers a model for developing the China-VCS to the association level in a way that is consistent with current international standards.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41971121&42271161)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDB31000000)。
文摘The study of modern pollen,and vegetation can improve the accuracy of paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on fossil pollen data.A total of 188 pollen surface samples were collected from Southern Xinjiang(34°00’–43°00’N,74°00’–94°00’E)in China,with an elevation range of 888–4530 m.Surface pollen and vegetation were studied in the northern region of the Kunlun Mountains and the southern region of the Tianshan Mountains.The results showed that the surface pollen assemblages on the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains(3530–1124 m)were divided into three pollen zones,namely,montane steppe,montane desert steppe,and montane desert.These zones were dominated by Artemisia,Chenopodiaceae,and Ephedra pollen.The surface pollen assemblages in the eastern Pamir Plateau(4530–1287 m)could be divided into alpine meadow,montane desert steppe,and montane desert zones,which were predominantly characterized by Artemisia,Chenopodiaceae,and Asteraceae pollen.However,the Southern Tarim Basin(3548–888 m)comprised montane desert steppe and montane desert zones,which was dominated by Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae pollen.The geographic distribution of the surface pollen sites obtained using ArcGIS,the R-value,and Pearson correlation analyses indicated that the over-represented Picea and Pinus pollen were of external origin and were transported by wind,water(rivers),and ice(glacier movement).Over-representation of Ephedra and Nitraria pollen was mainly distributed in the montane desert and desert steppe zones,respectively.Pollen from Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia were over-represented and broadly distributed across Southern Xinjiang.Juglans pollen was concentrated in areas with walnut trees,strongly indicating the presence of local parent plants.According to the Hybrid Singleparticle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model,more Pinus pollen was transported to the Pamir region by external airflows during spring and summer,resulting in its higher surface pollen content.Research elucidating the relationship between modern pollen and vegetation in southern Xinjiang could provide data describing the surface palynological database of Xinjiang for use in large-scale paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
基金Key Program of National Fundamental Scientific Research funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China:Integrated Scientific Investigation in Data-deficient Regions of the Tibetan Plateau(2012FY111400)Redaction of Vegetation of China(2015FY210200).
文摘Aims As a unique geographical unit of the earth,the tibetan Plateau is extensively covered by various Stipa communities.However,their vegetation features have not been reported systematically till now,especially in some scantily explored regions.In this study,we endeavor to reveal the community types,quantitative charac-teristics and climatic distribution patterns of Stipa steppes in these areas based on primary relevés obtained from fieldwork.Methods We collected a total of 223 plots in 79 study sites in the Changthang Plateau and the Yarlung Zangbo Valley,ranging from 79°E to 91°E.the categories of Stipa formations were identified according to the classification scheme in Vegetation of China and then verified by Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling.We performed detrended correspondence analysis and detrended canonical correspondence analysis to hunt for the alteration of Stipa communities along the precipitation gradient.Quantitative characteristics including species richness,coverage,biomass as well as importance values(IV)of dominant species were calcu-lated and visualized,respectively.Important Findings Stipa steppes in scantily explored regions of the tibetan Plateau are classified into 11 formations but major formations are rather limited in number.Formation(form.)Stipa purpurea is the most widespread Stipa assemblages not only in scantily explored regions but also across the whole tibetan Plateau.the characteristics of Stipa com-munities,including coverage,species richness,productivity and IV of dominant species,demonstrate the features of typical alpine steppes on the tibetan Plateau.Precipitation proves to be the prime climatic factor controlling the distribution patterns of Stipa assemblages.Form.Stipa subsessiliflora var.basiplumosa and form.Stipa glareosa normally distribute in arid habitats,but rainfall for the former is of greater variance.Form.Stipa roborowskyi and form.Stipa capillacea favor moderately moist environment.Form.Stipa purpurea and form.Stipa roborowskyi can tolerate a fairly broad range of precipitation.
基金The work was supported by‘Strategic Priority Research Program’of the Chinese Academy of Sciences[XDA19050402]National Key Basic Research Programs of China[2015FY210200,2016YFC0502602]+1 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China[41373081]This work was also supported by the China Scholarship Council[201604910318].
文摘Aims The latest China Vegetation Classification System(China-VCS)for natural/semi-natural vegetation has eight hierarchical levels:Association<Association-group<Subformation<Formation<Formation-group<Vegetation-subtype<Vegetation-type<Vegetation-type-group.The classification is based on dominant species and their growth forms and has been completed at the formation level.The principal challenge today in Chinese vegetation classification is to develop the China-VCS at levels below the formation in a way that is consistent with current international standards.We explored the following question:how can existing vegetation plot data help develop the China-VCS and improve its compatibility with other international classification systems?Methods We compiled 401 plots having plant cover and/or aboveground biomass measurements collected in six Stipa steppe formations and divided them into those with cover data(299 plots)and/or biomass data(283 plots).We applied a combination of hierarchical clustering and ordination to partition the cover and biomass data sets into formations and constituent associations.We then used supervised noise clustering to improve the classification and to identify the core plots representing each association.Diagnostic species were also identified at both association and formation levels.Finally,we compared the classification results based on cover and biomass data sets and combined these results into a comprehensive classification framework for the six formations.Important Findings Our results using cover data were comparable with those using biomass data at both formation and association levels.Three Stipa formations were classified into associations based on cover data,two based on biomass data and one based on both biomass and cover data.Twenty-seven associations were defined and proposed within the six formations,using cover or biomass data as consistent classification sections(CCSs).Both dominant species in the dominant stratum and diagnostic species from multiple strata of the core plots were used to characterize vegetation types at both formation and association levels,improving the compatibility of our classification with the International Vegetation Classification.Temperature and precipitation were found to be important climatic factors determining the distribution pattern and species composition of Stipa-dominated vegetation.We propose a framework for plotbased vegetation classification in the China-VCS,using our work with Stipa-dominated steppe vegetation as an example.We applied the concept of CCS to make optimal use of available data representing both plant cover and biomass.This study offers a model for developing the China-VCS to the association level in a way that is consistent with current international standards.
