Speaker: Xiang Xu
Title: Patterns of Plant Species Richness for Nature Reserves in Subtropical Zone, China
Abstract:
There are many factors that impact the spatial patterns of plant species richness, such as contemporary climate; however there are limited studies that examine the relationship between species richness and climatic heterogeneity at the large scale. This study focused on this relationship by introducing plant species richness of 18 nature reserves in China subtropical zone as response variables. In addition, the climatic average and heterogeneity variables, measured as the mean and standard deviation of 12 climate factors, were regarded as explanatory variables. By means of Pearson’s correlation analyses and ordinary least square regressions, the hidden forces that shape the plant richness patterns in China subtropical zone were found. The findings showed that 70.8% of all plant species richness variation was explained by heterogeneity in both energy and water measured by annual potential evapotranspiration and minimum monthly precipitation. Two-variable models involving climatic average characteristics and heterogeneity accounted for 68.1% and 61.2% of tree and herb richness patterns, respectively. In contrast, 36.5% of the shrub species richness variation was statistically explained by a monotonically function of a single variable: standard deviation of annual potential evapotranspiration. The results highlight the importance of considering climatic heterogeneity in future biodiversity research at large scale
Date: 7th May, 2014.
Time: 14.00-15.00 hrs
Venue: QMUL Mat 1.03