Elevational patterns of orchid diversity in mid-subtropical mountain forests of eastern China
Orchidaceae serves as a “flagship” group in global biodiversity conservation efforts, drawing substantial interest from researchers in China, but research on the variation of orchid species diversity along elevational gradients in mid-subtropical mountain forests in China remains limited. In this st...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235198942500006X |
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| author | Qinghua Zhan Haihong Liao Yuelong Liang Zhong Zhang Xingui Le Yu Xiong Lin Cheng Wenqi Ding Jian Lu Yadong Zhou Boyun Yang |
| author_facet | Qinghua Zhan Haihong Liao Yuelong Liang Zhong Zhang Xingui Le Yu Xiong Lin Cheng Wenqi Ding Jian Lu Yadong Zhou Boyun Yang |
| author_sort | Qinghua Zhan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Orchidaceae serves as a “flagship” group in global biodiversity conservation efforts, drawing substantial interest from researchers in China, but research on the variation of orchid species diversity along elevational gradients in mid-subtropical mountain forests in China remains limited. In this study, we conducted an investigation of orchids across more than 1900 5 m × 5 m plots in six mountains located in central China, spanning an elevational range from 166 m to 1930 m, and then converted these survey data into the distribution data in 100 m elevational bands to study the trend of species richness (S), Shannon-Wiener index (H'), Simpson index (D), and Pielou evenness (e) of orchids variation along the elevational gradients. We discovered that although the diversity patterns vary among each mountain, overall, S, H', and D exhibit hump-shaped patterns, while e shows a slight monotonic increase pattern along the elevation. There are no significant difference between elevational patterns of diversity of terrestrial and epiphytic orchids. In addition, slope, canopy closure, and disturbance have no significant impact on all the four diversity indices, mean annual temperature positively correlates with species richness, while annual precipitation shows negative correlations with S, H', and D. Meanwhile, we also found that significant differences in the composition and abundance of orchid communities between high and low elevations. These results significantly enhance our understanding of elevation-dependent diversity patterns among rare and endangered plants in the mid-subtropical regions of China. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-650715e5466a4f069b16f4fe8eb2cfe5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-650715e5466a4f069b16f4fe8eb2cfe52025-01-23T05:27:03ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942025-01-0157e03405Elevational patterns of orchid diversity in mid-subtropical mountain forests of eastern ChinaQinghua Zhan0Haihong Liao1Yuelong Liang2Zhong Zhang3Xingui Le4Yu Xiong5Lin Cheng6Wenqi Ding7Jian Lu8Yadong Zhou9Boyun Yang10School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330000, ChinaJiulianshan National Nature Reserve of Jiangxi, Ganzhou 341700, ChinaJiulianshan National Nature Reserve of Jiangxi, Ganzhou 341700, ChinaChangguling Forest Farm, Jinggangshan National Nature Reserve of Jiangxi, Ji’an 343000, ChinaYangjifeng National Nature Reserve Administration of Jiangxi, Guixi 335400, ChinaMatoushan National Nature Reserve Administration, Zixi 335399, ChinaJiangxi Wuyishan National Nature Reserve Administration, Yanshan 334500, ChinaGanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve of Jiangxi, Shicheng 342700, ChinaQiyunshan National Nature Reserve of Jiangxi, Chongyi 341300, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330000, China; Corresponding authors.School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330000, China; Corresponding authors.Orchidaceae serves as a “flagship” group in global biodiversity conservation efforts, drawing substantial interest from researchers in China, but research on the variation of orchid species diversity along elevational gradients in mid-subtropical mountain forests in China remains limited. In this study, we conducted an investigation of orchids across more than 1900 5 m × 5 m plots in six mountains located in central China, spanning an elevational range from 166 m to 1930 m, and then converted these survey data into the distribution data in 100 m elevational bands to study the trend of species richness (S), Shannon-Wiener index (H'), Simpson index (D), and Pielou evenness (e) of orchids variation along the elevational gradients. We discovered that although the diversity patterns vary among each mountain, overall, S, H', and D exhibit hump-shaped patterns, while e shows a slight monotonic increase pattern along the elevation. There are no significant difference between elevational patterns of diversity of terrestrial and epiphytic orchids. In addition, slope, canopy closure, and disturbance have no significant impact on all the four diversity indices, mean annual temperature positively correlates with species richness, while annual precipitation shows negative correlations with S, H', and D. Meanwhile, we also found that significant differences in the composition and abundance of orchid communities between high and low elevations. These results significantly enhance our understanding of elevation-dependent diversity patterns among rare and endangered plants in the mid-subtropical regions of China.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235198942500006XSubtropical ChinaMountainsOrchidaceaeElevationDiversityHump-shaped pattern |
| spellingShingle | Qinghua Zhan Haihong Liao Yuelong Liang Zhong Zhang Xingui Le Yu Xiong Lin Cheng Wenqi Ding Jian Lu Yadong Zhou Boyun Yang Elevational patterns of orchid diversity in mid-subtropical mountain forests of eastern China Global Ecology and Conservation Subtropical China Mountains Orchidaceae Elevation Diversity Hump-shaped pattern |
| title | Elevational patterns of orchid diversity in mid-subtropical mountain forests of eastern China |
| title_full | Elevational patterns of orchid diversity in mid-subtropical mountain forests of eastern China |
| title_fullStr | Elevational patterns of orchid diversity in mid-subtropical mountain forests of eastern China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Elevational patterns of orchid diversity in mid-subtropical mountain forests of eastern China |
| title_short | Elevational patterns of orchid diversity in mid-subtropical mountain forests of eastern China |
| title_sort | elevational patterns of orchid diversity in mid subtropical mountain forests of eastern china |
| topic | Subtropical China Mountains Orchidaceae Elevation Diversity Hump-shaped pattern |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235198942500006X |
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