The relationship between species richness and productivity in four typical grasslands of northern China

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  • Department of Ecology, College of Environmental Sciences, Center for Ecological Research & Education, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; School of Environment & Urban Study, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China

Published date: 05 Sep 2007

Abstract

The relationship between plant species richness and primary productivity has long been a central topic in biodiversity research. In this paper, we examine the relationship between species richness and productivity in four typical grasslands of Northern China at different spatial scales. At the community scale, a positive correlation was found for six of seven communities. A unimodal pattern was found only for one community (Stipa glareosa community), while at a large scale (vegetation type or landscape/region), the relationship was also found significantly positive. Species richness ranged from 4 to 35 species, and community aboveground productivity from 13 to 368 g · m-2 · a-1. The highest species richness and aboveground productivity were found in alpine meadow, followed by meadow steppe, typical steppe and desert steppe.

Cite this article

MA Wenhong . The relationship between species richness and productivity in four typical grasslands of northern China[J]. Frontiers in Biology, 2007 , 2(3) : 318 -323 . DOI: 10.1007/s11515-007-0047-x

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