Study On Plant Diversity Of Alpine Shrub Meadow In Qomolangma National Nature Reserve

Human activities have significantly influenced the environment since theindustrial revolution due to fast economic growth and rapid population explosion,resulting in natural habitat degradation and loss. Biodiversity loss directly threats thematerial supply and service function of ecosystem. How to protect the biodiversityhas caused world-wide concern.Mount Qomolangma Nature Reserve (MQNR), located in the southern part ofTibetan Plateau and middle Himalayas, is a nature reserve of highest elevation.Biodiversity of this particular geographical environment is unique, and many rare orendangered species distribute here. This study analyses the floristic composition, plantcommunity biodiversity and species diversity characteristic and regularities of alpineshrub meadow of the MQNR as well as relationship between biodiversity and theseenvironment factors. The origin of flora is discussed and protection strategies wereproposed. Main findings are as follows:⑴519vascular plant species of this study belong to59families and200genus;there are12fern species belonging to8family and11genus,7gymnosperm speciesbelonging to2families and3genus and500species belonging to49families and186genus. The major families are Compositae, Leguminosae, Rosaceae, Ranunculaceae,Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Scrophulariaceae and Brassicaceae; major genus arePotentilla, Kobresia, Pedicularis, Saxifraga, Rhodiola, Primula, Gentiana, Artemisia,Carex and Saussurea.⑵Many national key protected wild plants, such as Arnebia euchroma, Rhodiolabupleuroides, R. sinuate, R. quadrifida, R. himalensis, R. fastigiata, R. calliantha, R.discolor, R. heterodonta, R. kirilowii, R. ovatisepala, R. prainii, R. sacra, Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora, Orchis chusua, O. diantha, O. roborovskii, Herminiumalaschanicum, H. macrophyllu, H. monorchis, Gymnadenia orchidis, Vicia tibetica,Artemisia wellbyi, Neottianthe cucullata, Goodyera fusca, distribute in this study areaand have a harsh natural habitat that difficult to recover once damaged.⑶North Temperature and tropic element account for most of the floristicgeographical composition in this study and families and genus with temperature zonecharacteristic have a large ratio, indicating the strong temperate zone characteristic ofalpine bush and meadow flora. There are no endemic families,4genus in this areaand a lot of species endemic to the Himalaya, indicating that young flora of the studyarea may derive from other flora.⑷40formations and101associations are divided with TWINSPAN methodaccording to the principle of classification of Chinese Vegetation. Wild Nymphaeatetragona communities, at elevation of4385m, are first found in this area of whichhave not been recorded before in Tibetan Vegetation, and also the highest distributionever known.⑸Quadrats of alpine bush and alpine meadow were divided in to8groups and11groups by DCA ordination respectively. The first and second ordination axis ofDCA graph separately reflect the obvious soil moisture gradients and elevationgradient of plant community environment.⑹Species richness (TSR), Shannon-Wiener index, Simpon index and Pielouindex showed significant difference between different plant communities, of whichmay reflect the habitat condition.⑺Species richness (TSR), Shannon-Wiener index, Simpon index and Pielouindex showed an initial increase with elevation and then all decrease except thatPielou index showed a second increase after that. Respectively, TSR andShannon-Wiener index of alpine shrub increased with a fashion of three peak, ofwhich experience three times of increase and decrease; Simpon index change in afunction of increase, decrease and fluctuating in order; Pielou index showed afluctuating trends with increasing elevation.