Patterns of plant species richness along the drawdown zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir 5 years after submergence

This study was conducted to understand the patterns of plant species richness in the Three Gorges Reservoir after 5 years after 175 m submergence. We hypothesized that hygrophyte and xerophyte species would show different species richness patterns, which was tested by collecting species composition...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water science and technology 2017-05, Vol.75 (10), p.2299-2308
Main Authors: Rong, Sun, Shaomin, Liang, Shike, Qiu, Wei, Deng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammonium
Ammonium compounds
Biodiversity
Canyons
Correlation
Correlation analysis
Drawdown
Flooding
Floods
Flowers & plants
Plant species
Reservoirs
Soil
Soil types
Species composition
Species richness
Studies
Submergence
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Summary:This study was conducted to understand the patterns of plant species richness in the Three Gorges Reservoir after 5 years after 175 m submergence. We hypothesized that hygrophyte and xerophyte species would show different species richness patterns, which was tested by collecting species composition and environmental variable data in 50 m long and 5 m wide transects in the drawdown zone from 145 m to 180 m. Xerophyte species richness (XSR) was highest in the middle of the drawdown zone, whereas hygrophyte species showed a continuous downward trend from 145 m to 180 m. Correlation analyses showed that the flooding period was significantly negatively correlated with the total species richness (TSR), XSR, and hygrophyte species richness (HSR). The TSR and XSR showed a significant positive correlation with soil type and a significant negative correlation with available K. HSR was significantly correlated with soil type and negatively correlated with ammonium N.
ISSN:0273-1223
1996-9732
DOI:10.2166/wst.2017.107