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Procedia Environmental Sciences 10 (2011) 2426 – 2430

/ /p
2011 3rd International Conference on Environmental
Science and Information Application Technology (ESIAT 2011)

Influence of Soil Water Content on the Vegetation Species

Richness in Qinghai Lake Inland Alpine Wetland
Zhu Jinfu, Chen Kelong, Wu Yanpeng, Cao Guangchao, Cao
Shengkui , Chen Liang, Yang Long
College of Life and Geographic Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining,810008
xuebojin2011@hotmail.com

Abstract

This paper studies the correlation between species richness and productivity under different scales using soil water
content in Qinghai Lake region, and the research results show that soil water content has negative correlation with
species richness under community scales and positive one with productivity; while in different types of vegetations,
soil water content has obvious negative correlation with species richness and positive one with productivity.

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Key words: wetland in Qinghai Lake Basin, soil water content, species richness, productivity

Introduce

Species diversity varying with the geographical gradient is one of the important research topics on
spatial patterns of species diversity, it has important significance to Reveal mechanism of productivity
and environmental factors on biodiversity [1-2], the theory of species diversity decreases with the increase
of latitude has been widely accepted [3]. Regional and global-scale research results [4-6] reveal that plant
community species diversity exhibits obvious latitude gradient. Regional factor appears to be an
important aspect for the study of biodiversity pattern for its temperature, humidity, and solar radiation,
just as the latitude does [7].
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, also known as the "third pole" of the earth, has unique natural
geographical conditions. Research on relationship of distribution pattern of plant species richness and
biomass in this area has caused much concern. Qinghai Lake basin, the important international wetland
protected by Ramsar Convention and one of the eight key Birds nature reserves in China, lies in the
junction of southern alpine region of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, northwestern arid region and eastern
monsoon, its unique plateau hydrology, soil, and climate conditions provide environment for rare animals
to perch and endangered plants to grow. So the study on maintaining mechanism of species diversity in
this region has great significance.
Qinghai Lake basin, a closed inland basin surrounded by mountains, locates in the northwest of

1878-0296 © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Conference ESIAT2011 Organization Committee.
doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2011.09.377
 Zhu Jinfu et al. / Procedia Environmental Sciences 10 (2011) 2426 – 2430 2427

Qinghai province, ranges from 36.15 to 8.20 in latitude and between 97.5 and 101.2E in longitude. Its
main soil types include alpine cold desert soil, alpine meadow soil, alpine prairie soil, gray cinnamonic
soil, chernozem, chestnut soil, bog soil, Aeolian soils, etc. Chief vegetation types are alpine meadow,
alpine grassland, subnival vegetation, sandy vegetation, saline meadow, cold desert grassland and swamp
grassland, and so on. A variety of wild animals live in this region, among them are 189 species of birds, 8
species of fishes, 5 species of reptiles, and among them are 35 species of animals under national first and
second degree protection. Qinghai Lake was listed as one of key international wetlands in 1994 and was
approved by the State Council as national grade natural reserve in 1997.

Research methods

Sampling time was between August and September in 2009-2010, when the ground biomass
reaches its summit in this region. We chose 66 sample blots in this area, which contained 11 kinds of plant
communities belonging to alpine meadows and swamp meadows respectively. Community survey, which
by and large covered the Qinghai Lake region, took the quadrat method which obeyed the well-distributed
principle. We designed a big sampling blot with 10*10m, within which five small ones with 1*1m was
set at the four corners and right in the center. Collect different layers of soil with a 50.46×50mm annular
knife on which plants have been cut, write down their weights and take them back to lab in a sealed
condition. Dry the samples to constant weight and get their dry weights. Each kind of species and its
height, coverage were investigated within each sampling blot, and the geographic location and altitude
were also surveyed. We cut down all the above-ground plants with soil and impurities removed within the
sampling blot, took them back to the lab and had them weighed after drying them to constant weight in an
oven.
Factors such as temperature, moisture, solar radiation, and so on, are important aspects on study of
biodiversity patterns in local areas. Moisture becomes key environmental factors affecting biodiversity
patterns in this region for small in area, less differentiation in temperature and solar radiation in this study.
Soil humidity could well reflect water condition in which plant grows, but in mesophytia, hydrops on the
ground have significant influence on plant development and biodiversity patterns. Based on the
considerations mentioned above, soil water content is regarded as the criterion for water condition. So
water weight including above ground water and below ground one in a unit ground surface area is
regarded as the criterion for water content.

Results and discussion

Water content and species richness

Table1 Comparison on productivity, water content and species richness under different scales
Different scales Reduplication Water content Species abundance productivity˄g·m-2·a-1˅
number of Mean value scope Mean value mean value scope
sampling blot scope
Community type
Blysmus 23 18.96 10.03-26.15 5.3 2-8 311.9 139-585
sinocompressus
Blysmus 18 15.23 8.42-22.12 4.2 3-7 366.7 198-545
sinocompressus+
Kobresia bellardii
Kobresia bellardii 16 11.12 6.61-15.00 6.6 4-8 264.8 85-452
Vegetation type
Swamp meadow 34 16.50 6.61-25.58 5.3 3-8 300.7 85-452
Alpine meadow 32 13.50 6.59-26.15 5.5 2-9 301.1 117-585

As shown in table1, the average value and its scope of above ground productivity and species


2428 Zhu Jinfu et al. / Procedia Environmental Sciences 10 (2011) 2426 – 2430


richness under different scales in Qinghai Lake are as follows: above ground productivity ranges from
65̚585 g·m-2·a-1, species richness from 2 to 9. The productivity of Blysmus sinocompressus is the
biggest while the mean value of its species richness is the smallest in the community; among communities,
biomass of Swamp meadows is higher than that of alpine meadows, while the species richness is on the
contrary.

Species richness and productivity

As shown in fig.1, water content has obvious negative correlation with species richness under
community scales and positive correlation with productivity.

Fig.1 Influence of water content on species richness and productivity among different communities
As shown in Fig.2, we can see that water content has obvious negative correlation with species
richness and positive one with productivity in different vegetations.


 Zhu Jinfu et al. / Procedia Environmental Sciences 10 (2011) 2426 – 2430 2429

Fig.2 Influence of water content on species abundance and productivity

Discussion

Water content has negative correlation but positive one with species richness in Qinghai Lake basin,
this might mainly be because the deep hydrops restrict plants to grow in this research area. Deep water
make plants grow rare along the lakeshore but has active role in promoting productivity, thus makes high
community productivity along the lakeshore.
The correlation between species richness and productivity expresses in many ways, the difference of
observation scales could lead to different correlations between species richness and productivity.
Multi-scale study on relationship between species richness and productivity in Qinghai Lake basin by Wu
Yanpen et al shows that predominates negative correlation is the main way on the relationship between
species richness and productivity. As pointed by Loreau [12] and Schmid [13], species richness has positive
correlation with productivity when environmental factors have positive correlation with species and
productivity.
When the same environmental factor such as soil fertility has negative influence on biodiversity
and productivity, it may lead to negative or peak-shape correlation between species richness and
productivity. This research results further proves such standpoint through study on relationships among
water content, species richness and productivity under different scales.


2430 Zhu Jinfu et al. / Procedia Environmental Sciences 10 (2011) 2426 – 2430


Table2 Influence of water content on species richness and productivity
Research scale species richness and Productivity and water productivity and species
water content content richness
community type
Blysmus sinocompressus Negative correlation Positive correlation Negative correlation
Blysmus Negative correlation Positive correlation Negative correlation
sinocompressus+
Kobresia bellardii
Kobresia bellardii Negative correlation Positive correlation Negative correlation
Vegetation type
Swamp meadow Negative correlation Positive correlation Negative correlation
Alpine meadow Negative correlation Positive correlation Negative correlation
Acknowledgements

This study was commonly sponsored by National Natural Science Foundation (40861026, 40761010˅,
National Social Science Foundation (08XJY012ˈ10CJY015) and Science and Technology Department
Project of Qinghai Province˄2010-Z-276˅, Western Light Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences
(2009-14), The authors would like to thanks to them. And thanks to the anonymous reviewers.

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