Zhang Guangfu, Li Qian, Sun Shucun
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biotechnology School of Life Sciences Nanjing Normal University Nanjing China.
College of Life Sciences Nanjing University Nanjing China.
Ecol Evol. 2018 Apr 2;8(9):4378-4386. doi: 10.1002/ece3.3992. eCollection 2018 May.
Parasitic plants are an important component of vegetation worldwide, but their diversity and distribution in China have not been systematically reported. This study aimed to (1) explore floral characteristics of China's parasitic plants, (2) map spatial distribution of diversity of these species, and (3) explore factors influencing the distribution pattern. We compiled a nationwide species list of parasitic plants in China, and for each species, we recorded its phylogeny, endemism, and life form (e.g., herb vs. shrub; hemiparasite vs. holoparasite). Species richness and area-corrected species richness were calculated for 28 provinces, covering 98.89% of China's terrestrial area. Regression analyses were performed to determine relationships between provincial area-corrected species richness of parasitic plants and provincial total species richness (including nonparasitic plants) and physical settings (altitude, midlongitude, and midlatitude). A total of 678 species of parasitic angiosperms are recorded in China, 63.13% of which are endemic. Of the total, 59.73% (405 species) are perennials, followed by shrubs/subshrubs (14.75%) and vines (1.47%). About 76.11% (516 species) are of root hemiparasites, higher than that of stem parasites (100, 14.75%), root holoparasites (9.00%), and endophytic parasites (0.15%). A significant positive relationship is found between the area-corrected species richness and the total species richness, which has been previously demonstrated to increase with decreasing longitude and latitude. Moreover, more parasitic species are found in the southwest high-altitude areas than low areas. Consistently, the area-corrected species richness increases with increasing altitude, decreasing latitude, and decreasing longitude, as indicated by regression analyses. China is rich in parasitic flora with a high proportion of endemic species. Perennials and root hemiparasites are the dominant types. The spatial distribution of parasitic plants is largely heterogeneous, with more species living in southwest China, similar to the distribution pattern of Chinese angiosperms. The positive relationship between parasitic and nonparasitic plant species richness should be addressed in the future.
寄生植物是全球植被的重要组成部分，但它们在中国的多样性和分布情况尚未得到系统报道。本研究旨在：（1）探究中国寄生植物的花部特征；（2）绘制这些物种多样性的空间分布图；（3）探究影响分布格局的因素。我们编制了一份中国寄生植物的全国物种名录，并针对每个物种记录其系统发育、特有性和生活型（如草本与灌木；半寄生与全寄生）。计算了覆盖中国陆地面积98.89%的28个省份的物种丰富度和面积校正物种丰富度。进行回归分析以确定寄生植物的省级面积校正物种丰富度与省级总物种丰富度（包括非寄生植物）以及自然环境（海拔、经度中部和纬度中部）之间的关系。中国共记录到678种寄生被子植物，其中63.13%为特有种。在总数中，59.73%（405种）为多年生植物，其次是灌木/亚灌木（14.75%）和藤本植物（1.47%）。约76.11%（516种）为根半寄生植物，高于茎寄生植物（100种，14.75%）、根全寄生植物（9.00%）和内生寄生植物（0.15%）。发现面积校正物种丰富度与总物种丰富度之间存在显著正相关，此前已证明总物种丰富度随经度和纬度降低而增加。此外，在西南高海拔地区发现的寄生物种比低海拔地区更多。一致地，回归分析表明，面积校正物种丰富度随海拔升高、纬度降低和经度降低而增加。中国寄生植物区系丰富，特有种比例高。多年生植物和根半寄生植物是优势类型。寄生植物的空间分布在很大程度上是不均匀的，中国西南部的物种较多，这与中国被子植物的分布格局相似。寄生植物和非寄生植物物种丰富度之间的正相关关系未来应予以关注。
