Study On The Diversity Of Plants In Massif Meadows Of Wugong Mountain In Jiangxi Province

We carried on using the method of combining of transect and sample band’s in vigorous plant growth season (From June to September), collecting plant specimens, investigating vegetation and quadrat survey plant photo shoot to subalpine meadows of Wugong mountain.Based on examinating plant specimens, consulting literature and analyzing quadrat data, recording along the meadow destruction of the situation of Wugong mountain, this dissertation has made a thorough research on the floristic characteristics of vascular plants, plant diversity and human disturbance effect in the area.This study may provide some scientific bases for appropriately exploiting, conseving and rehabilitating the subalpine vegetation.The results of research are as follows:1. There is a relatively abundant flora in Wugong Mountain.280 vascular plants represented in the meadows of Wugong Mountain, which belong to 44 families and 73 genera. Among these, the pteridophytes include seven families with seven genera and seven total species; the gymnosperms include one family with two genera and two total species; and the angiosperms include thirty-six families with sixty-four genera and eighty-two species.2. According to the vegetation classification system of "Vegetation of China"(1995) and combine with the investigation of plant community types of meadows of Wugong Mountain, main communities in this area are divided into three meadow formation groups(grass meadows, carex meadows and forbs meadows). The forbs meadows included six meadows associations:Ass. Anaphalis margaritacea+ Pennisetum alopecuroides, AssAster ageratoides+ Miscanthus floridulu, Ass. Spiraea japonica+ Senecio nemorensis, Ass. Eupatorium japonicum Thunb+ Miscanthus floridulu, Ass. Osmunda japonica Thunb+ Agrostis canina Linn. var. formosana Hack, and Ass. Polygonum caespitosum Bi+ Saluia plebeia R. Br.3. There exist obvious differences among the eight meadow community types of Wugong Mountain. Species diversity of grass meadow is the highest, followed by carex meadow and Ass. Anaphalis margaritacea+ Pennisetum alopecuroides, plant diversity of Ass. Spiraea japonica+ Senecio nemorensis and Ass. Eupatorium japonicum Thunb+ Miscanthus floridulu are lower, and diversity of Ass. Polygonum caespitosum Bi+ Saluia plebeia R. Br is lowest.4. Arrange these eight meadow communities in accordance with the Simpson index (D) from highest to lowest as follow: grass meadow> carex meadow> Ass. Anaphalis margaritacea+ Pennisetum alopecuroides> AssAster ageratoides+ Miscanthus floridulu> Ass. Spiraea japonica+ Senecio nemorensis> Ass. Eupatorium japonicum Thunb+ Miscanthus floridulu> Ass. Osmunda japonica Thunb+ Agrostis canina Linn, var. formosana Hack> Ass. Polygonum caespitosum Bi+ Saluia plebeia R. Br. Arrange these eight meadow communities in accordance with the Pielou index (E) from highest to lowest as follow:grass meadow> AssAster ageratoides+ Miscanthus floridulu> carex meadow> Ass. Anaphalis margaritacea+ Pennisetum alopecuroides> Ass. Osmunda japonica Thunb+ Agrostis canina Linn. var. formosana Hack> Ass. Eupatorium japonicum Thunb+ Miscanthus floridulu> Ass. Spiraea japonica+ Senecio nemorensis> Ass. Polygonum caespitosum Bi+ Saluia plebeia R. Br. Arrange these eight meadow communities in accordance with the Shannon-Wiener index (H) from highest to lowest as follow: grass meadow> carex meadow> Ass. Anaphalis margaritacea+ Pennisetum alopecuroides> AssAster ageratoides+ Miscanthus floridulu> Ass. Osmunda japonica Thunb+ Agrostis canina Linn. var. formosana Hack> Ass. Eupatorium japonicum Thunb+ Miscanthus floridulu> Ass. Spiraea japonica+ Senecio nemorensis> Ass. Polygonum caespitosum Bi+ Saluia plebeia R. Br. There is a significant difference between Ass. Polygonum caespitosum Bi+ Saluia plebeia R. Br and other seven meadows associations in the Simpson index (D), the Pielou index (E) and the Shannon-Wiener index (H).5. The species composition and community structure of meadows in Wugong Mountain has been changed obviously by the interference of frequent tourism. The farther from the major tourism path, division species of plant have increasing trendency. The farther from the major tourism path, the number of plant species for poaceae and cyperaceae has small change, the number of plant species for asteraceae, rosaceae and caprifoliaceae have increasing tendency. It’s shows that, tourism can impact plant composition of meadows in Wugong Mountain greatly6. The farther from the major tourism path, the Coverage in total is bigger. Associated plant such as Anaphalis margaritacea, Aster ageratoides, Spiraea japonica and Senecio nemorensis etc can take a favorable position easier in the case of human disturbance, and which have a strong resistance to stampede. Pennisetum alopecuroides, Miscanthus floridulu and Agrostis canina Linn. var. formosana Hack have poor anti-interference. As the distance from the major tourism path increase, the tourism interfering extent weakened. In this case, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Miscanthus floridulu and Agrostis canina Linn. var. formosana Hack show it advantages and become the main constructive plant species, it’s relative density, relative cover and relative height show upward trendency, and important value also increases. It’s indicates that with the change of man-made tourist disturbance, both of the original advantage plant species and associated species in the community are affected.7. The dissimilarity coefficient between three transects (3-1) and transect 4 is turn increase. The maximum dissimilarity coefficient exist between transectl and transect 4 (0.457), which shows that the nature of community between transect 1 and transect 4 are quite different. The result of four transects dissimilarity analysis indicate that the dissimilarity beween three transects (3-1) and transect 4 have increasing trendency with the increasing degree of man-made tourist disturbance.8. With the distance from transect to the major tourism path increasing, there is a higher species diversity of meadow community in Wugong Mountain. With the distance increasing, richness index (R), Shannon-Wiener index (H) and Simpson index (D) have a great change, but evenness index did not change significantly. Transect 1 from the major tourism path had been affected strongly by the tourism. Since some associated plant can take a favorable position easier in the case of human disturbance and have a strong resistance to stampede, which caused low tolerance plants exit from the communities. Therefore, there have low richness index (R), low Shannon-Wiener index (H), low Simpson index (D), low evenness index, and low stability of community. With the distance from transect to the main trail increasing, there is a significant increase in the types of plants. This indicates that tourism activities have a greater impact on the plant species diversity of meadow in Wugong mountain.