Photosynthetica 2003, 41(1):21-26 | DOI: 10.1023/A:1025844009120

C4 Plants in the Vegetation of Tibet, China: Their Natural Occurrence and Altitude Distribution Pattern

R.Z. Wang1,*
1 Laboratory of Quantitative Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, China

Floristic composition, life forms for C4 species, and the pattern of altitude distribution were studied on Tibetan Plateau. 79 species, in 7 families and 46 genera, were identified with C4 photosynthesis. 95 % of these C4 species belong to Gramineae (51 species), Cyperaceae (14 species), and Chenopodiaceae (10 species), indicating that C4 plants mainly occur in very few families (7 of 204) on the Tibetan Plateau. High altitude distribution for all the Chenopodiaceae C4 species (> 3 000 m above sea level) suggests that plants of this kind have large tolerance to cold, dryness, and strong ultraviolet radiation. Most Gramineae and Cyperaceae C4 species occurrences are consistent with extensive distribution of steppes and meadows in the vast flat of the central Plateau (1 000-3 000 m a.s.l.). Relatively high amount of hemicryptophyte form plants (44 %) in the region indicates that the vegetation, especially grassland, meadows, and steppe, are in good condition. There is a strong relationship between numbers of C4 species and altitude in the Tibetan Plateau. Occurrence of C4 species is significantly less in both high and low altitude plateaux in Tibet. Altitude distribution pattern for C4 species in the region is not only consistent with the altitude and climate, but also with the vegetation types in altitude gradient.

Additional key words: altitude distribution; geophytes; habitat types; hemicryptophytes; plant life form; precipitation; therophytes; Tibet Plateau

Published: March 1, 2003  Show citation

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Wang, R.Z. (2003). C4 Plants in the Vegetation of Tibet, China: Their Natural Occurrence and Altitude Distribution Pattern. Photosynthetica, 41(1), 21-26. doi: 10.1023/A:1025844009120
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