Diversity patterns of cushion plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:A basic study for future conservation efforts on alpine ecosystems

作     者：Ya-Zhou Zhang Li-Shen Qian Xu-Fang Chen Lu Sun Hang Sun Jian-Guo Chen Ya-Zhou Zhang;Li-Shen Qian;Xu-Fang Chen;Lu Sun;Hang Sun;Jian-Guo Chen

作者机构：Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East AsiaKunming Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingYunnanChina University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina School of Life SciencesYunnan UniversityKunmingYunnanChina 

出 版 物：《Plant Diversity》 (植物多样性（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2022年第44卷第3期

页      面：231-242页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 0713[理学-生态学] 

基　　金：supported by grants from the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(STEP)program(2019QZKK0502) the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA20050203) the Key Projects of the Joint Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U1802232) the Yunnan Applied Basic Research Project(202001AT070060) 

主　　题：Climatic features Cushion distribution Ecosystem engineer Hengduan mountains Phylogenetic diversity Phylogenetic community structure 

摘      要：The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)is an important cushion plant ***,the distribution of cushion plants on the QTP is unknown,as are the factors that drive cushion plant distribution,limiting our understanding of the evolution of cushion species in the *** this study,we assessed spatial patterns of total cushion plant diversity(including taxonomic and phylogenetic)over the entire QTP and compared patterns of diversity of cushion plants with different typologies(i.e.,compact ***).We also examined how these patterns were related to climatic *** results indicate that the southern QTP hosts the highest total cushion plant richness,especially in the south-central Hengduan Mountains *** total number of cushion species declines from south to north and from southeast to *** cushion plants exhibit similar patterns as the total cushion plant richness,whereas loose cushion plants show random *** plant phylogenetic diversity showed a similar pattern as that of the total cushion plant *** addition,cushion plant phylogenetic community structure was clustered in the eastern and southwestern QTP,whereas random or overdispersed in other *** features represented by annual energy and water trends,seasonality and extreme environmental factors,had significant effects on cushion plant diversity patterns but limited effects on the phylogenetic community structure,suggesting that climatic features indeed promote the formation of cushion *** cushion plants play vital roles in alpine ecosystems,our findings not only promote our understanding of the evolution and formation of alpine cushion plant diversity but also provide an indispensable foundation for future studies on cushion plant functions and thus alpine ecosystem sustainability in the entire QTP region.