Studies On Plant Diversity And Conservation Of Tongbiguan Nature Reserve In Yunnan Province

In order to conserve efficiently the rich and unique floristic diversity of the Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, data collected in the comprehensive vegetative survey are analyzed and studied for the floristic diversity in the region. Analytical and inventory methods of plant communities, floral composition of vegetation types and diversity index analysis are used in the study which demonstrates the following findings.Diversity at the species level: Data from field inventories and cataloging shows that 3,767 species of wild tracheophyte belonging to 1,316 genera in 248 families are present in Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, accounting for 68.13%, 40.99% and 13.87%, respectively, of the species, genera and families of vascular plants in China. Of all the species, 3,517 species are spermatophytes, belonging to 1,202 genera in 201 families, including the 12 newly recorded species and 8 new site species. In the floristic composition of spermatophytes, families of tropical distribution make up 74.67%, and the recorded genera 74.21% of the total families and genera, respectively. Furthermore, the genera of tropical Asian distribution take up the largest share, reaching 28.17% of the total. High share of tropical distribution elements shows that the flora possess distinctive features of the Tropical Asiatic region, belonging to the Yunnan, Myanmar and Thailand region in the Malaysia Subkingdom of the Paleotropic Kingdom. Further analysis shows that the flora presents characteristics of the marginal northern tropics. This area was least affected during the Quaternary ice age, which has made it an ideal refuge for plants where a broad range of rare and endangered species with various protection status have been preserved. Found in the Nature Reserve are 58 national and 52 provincial level protected species. Six families are endemic to East Asia and 10 genera endemic to China in this region. In total, 911 species, or approximately 25.9%, from 427 genera in 129 families are endemic to China, of which 43 species are endemic to the Nature Reserve.Diversity at the community level: The vegetation is classified into 7 types, 14...