Characteristics of the community along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, China

Abstract

The Achnatherum splendens community is an important type of warm steppe vegetation which plays a very important role in environmental protection in the area along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. In order to understand its dynamic features, the characteristics of the A. splendens community, such as spatial distribution pattern, species richness and biomass, were examined near Haiyan County, Qinghai Province. Results showed that the A. splendens community consisted of two types of mosaic patches, the microaggregation dominated by A. splendens and the microaggregation dominated by Stipa sp. The number and size of the two patches showed an interesting distribution pattern. The A. splendens patch decreased with increasing distance away from the railway, while species diversity increased. The total coverage of A. splendens was significantly higher than that of Stipa sp. The number and size of patches may indicate the degradation of the A. splendens community, which could be accelerated by human activities. Based on the characteristics and status quo of the A. splendens community, we suggest that some measures be taken to control human activities and rodents to conserve the A. splendens community.

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