Huang Jihong, Ma Keping, Huang Jianhua
Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, the State Forestry Administration, Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China.
PLoS One. 2017 Jan 23;12(1):e0170276. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170276. eCollection 2017.
Based on a great number of literatures, we established the database about the Chinese endemic seed plants and analyzed the compositions, growth form, distribution and angiosperm original families of them within three big natural areas and seven natural regions. The results indicate that the above characters of Chinese endemic plants take on relative rule at the different geographical scales. Among the three big natural areas, Eastern Monsoon area has the highest endemic plants richness, whereas Northwest Dryness area is the lowest. For life forms, herbs dominate. In contrast, the proportion of herbs of Eastern Monsoon area is remarkable under other two areas. Correspondingly the proportions of trees and shrubs are substantially higher than other two. For angiosperm original families, the number is the highest in Eastern Monsoon area, and lowest in Northwest Dryness area. On the other hand, among the seven natural regions, the humid and subtropical zone in Central and Southern China has the highest endemic plants richness, whereas the humid, hemi-humid region and temperate zone in Northeast China has the lowest. For life forms, the proportion of herbs tends to decrease from humid, hemi-humid region and temperate zone in Northeast China to humid and tropical zone in Southern China. Comparably, trees, shrubs and vines or lianas increase with the same directions. This fully represents these characters of Chinese endemic plants vary with latitudinal gradients. Furthermore, as to the number of endemic plants belonging to angiosperm original families, the number is the most in humid and subtropical zone in Center and Southern China, and tropical zone in Southern China in the next place. In contrast, the endemic plant of these two regions relatively is richer than that of The Qinghai-Tibet alpine and cold region. All above results sufficiently reflect that the Chinese endemic plants mainly distribute in Eastern Monsoon area, especially humid and subtropical zone in Center and Southern China and tropical zone in Southern China. Furthermore, the flora of Eastern Monsoon area, in particular humid and subtropical zone in Center and Southern China and tropical zone in Southern China, is more ancient and original than that of Northwest Dryness area and Qinghai-Tibet alpine and cold area.
基于大量文献，我们建立了中国特有种子植物数据库，并分析了它们在三大自然区和七个自然区域内的组成、生活型、分布以及被子植物原始科。结果表明，中国特有植物的上述特征在不同地理尺度上呈现出一定规律。在三大自然区中，东部季风区的特有植物丰富度最高，而西北干旱区最低。就生活型而言，草本植物占主导。相比之下，东部季风区草本植物的比例显著低于其他两个区。相应地，乔木和灌木的比例则显著高于其他两区。对于被子植物原始科，东部季风区的数量最多，西北干旱区最少。另一方面，在七个自然区域中，中国中南部湿润亚热带地区的特有植物丰富度最高，而中国东北湿润、半湿润地区和温带地区最低。就生活型而言，草本植物的比例从中国东北湿润、半湿润地区和温带地区向中国南部湿润和热带地区呈下降趋势。相比之下，乔木、灌木以及藤本植物则呈相同方向增加。这充分表明中国特有植物的这些特征随纬度梯度而变化。此外，就属于被子植物原始科的特有植物数量而言，中国中南部湿润亚热带地区最多，其次是中国南部热带地区。相比之下，这两个地区的特有植物相对比青藏高原高寒地区更为丰富。上述所有结果充分反映出中国特有植物主要分布在东部季风区，尤其是中国中南部湿润亚热带地区和中国南部热带地区。此外，东部季风区的植物区系，特别是中国中南部湿润亚热带地区和中国南部热带地区的植物区系，比西北干旱区和青藏高原高寒地区的植物区系更为古老和原始。
