Distribution, species richness, and relative importance of different plant life forms across drylands in China.

ABSTRACT: Studies on plant diversity are usually based on the total number of species in a community. However, few studies have examined species richness (SR) of different plant life forms in a community along large-scale environmental gradients. Particularly, the relative importance (RIV) of different plant life forms in a community and how they vary with environmental variables are still unclear. To fill these gaps, we determined plant diversity of ephemeral plants, annual herbs, perennial herbs, and woody plants from 187 sites across drylands in China. The SR patterns of herbaceous plants, especially perennial herbs, and their RIV in plant communities increased with increasing precipitation and soil nutrient content; however, the RIV of annual herbs was not altered along these gradients. The SR a

SUBMITTER: Yao S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11962942 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature