Photosynthetica 2006, 44(3):365-386 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-006-0038-1

Photosynthetic pathway and morphological functional types in the vegetation from North-Beijing agro-pastoral ecotone, China

X. Q. Liu1,2, R. Z. Wang1,*
1 Laboratory of Quantitative Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
2 Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Photosynthetic pathways (C3, C4, and CAM) and morphological functional types were identified for the species from vegetation in agro-pastoral ecotone, North Beijing. 792 vascular plant species (nearly half of the total species in the ecotone), in 66 families and 317 genera, were identified with C3, C4, and CAM photosynthesis (Table 1). 710 species (90 % of the identified species in Table 1) in 268 genera and 64 families were found with C3 photosynthesis, 68 species (9 % of the total identified species) in 40 genera and 7 families with C4 photosynthesis, and 14 species in 4 genera and 1 family with CAM photosynthesis. Gramineae is the leading family with C4 photosynthesis (43 species), Cyperaceae ranks the second (16 species) followed by Chenopodiaceae (5 species). The significant increase of C4 proportion (C4/total species) with land deterioration suggested the plants of this type are remarkably responsive to land use in the ecotone. 792 species were classified into nine morphological functional types and the changes of most of these types (e.g. perennial forbs (PEF), annual grasses (ANG), and annual forbs (ANF)) were consistent with habitats and vegetation dynamics in the agro-pastoral ecotone. Hence the photosynthetic pathways, combined with the morphological functional types, are efficient indications for studying the linkage between species and ecosystems in the ecotone.

Additional key words: C3, C4, and CAM species; land; use

Received: May 31, 2005; Accepted: November 28, 2005; Published: September 1, 2006  Show citation

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Liu, X.Q., & Wang, R.Z. (2006). Photosynthetic pathway and morphological functional types in the vegetation from North-Beijing agro-pastoral ecotone, China. Photosynthetica, 44(3), 365-386. doi: 10.1007/s11099-006-0038-1
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