Species Diversity And Spatial Variation Of Plant Community In The Southern Part Of The Gurbantunggut Desert

Study on the plant community diversity in southern part of gurbantunggut desert, focuses on the composition of plant species diversity, distribution of the different characteristics of the plant life forms, relationship between ephemeral plants and the environment as well as short-lived two years, changes in plant diversity, this study will be useful cataloging with the regional vegetation diversity and long-term dynamic monitoring and the establishment of protection areas and protection of vegetation and sustainable management and so on. The conclusions are as following:1. Investigation of the desert south of Gurbantunggut 35 sites which cover a total area of 3.86x104 m2 in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert. A total of 93 species belonging to 24 families and 74 genera are found, of which families like Chenopodiaceae, Compositae, Cruciferae and Leguminosae are dominant, taking up 19.35%,17.20%,11.83% and 9.68%, of the total species respectively. In terms of life forms, ephemerals make up 53.76%, herbage plant with long period of nourishment account for 22.58% and arbor and shrub mahe up 16.13%. In terms of important value, arbor and shrubs account to 30.93% and ephemerals acount for 45.73%.2. We use two-way indicator species analysis(TWINSPAN) and divided the ephemerals living in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert into 7 communities. Species distribution is found to be greatly influenced by slope positions, longitude and latitude, annual precipitation and precipitation from March to May through detrended canonical correspondence analysis(DCCA).3. The spatial variation of the plant life forms are distinct:in longitude, the species number and important value of ephemerals increase significantly with the increase of longitude(from west to east), while the important value of herbage plant with long period of nourishment and arbor and shrub decreases with the increase of longitude; in latitude, the species number and important value of ephemerals decrease with the increase of latitude(from south to north), while the important value of herbage plant with long period of nourishment and arbor and shrub increases with the increase of latitude and there are no distinct change in species number.4. Slope between the different types of the plant life forms cover of different life significant difference, expressed as:"arbor and shrub">ephemerals>annuals with long period of nourishment>perennial weed. Mean density expressed as:ephemerals and annuals with long period of nourishment have large density. Overall, less dense top of the hill and greater density of two slopes, showed significant selective distribution.5. Ephemeral plant cover of different plant communities is significant difference between two year, expressed as:greater degree of plant cover in 2010, but density and diversity index change is not very clear.