TY - JOUR
T1 - Age Structure and Self-Thinning of Four Poisonous Forbs in Alpine Meadows on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
AU - Mou, Xiao Ming
AU - Shi, Ying
AU - Yu, Ying Wen
AU - Degen, Allan
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the China Agricultural Research System of MOF and MARA (CARS-34) and Nature Science Foundation of China (72033009).
Funding Information:
We thank editors and two reviewers for constructive suggestions and personnel at Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation for their assistance.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Society for Range Management
PY - 2023/1/1
Y1 - 2023/1/1
N2 - Age structure and self-thinning indicate the development of plant species and their adaptability to the environment, and the proportion of poisonous plants could reflect the status of grasslands degradation. Little is known about age structure and self-thinning of poisonous dicotyledonous forbs in the alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. We selected four poisonous dicotyledonous species, namely Anaphalis lacteal, Stellera chamaejasme, Pedicularis kansuensis, and Gentiana straminea, and determined their age structures by using number of branches, crown diameters, and plant heights and their self-thinning by using dry weights and different components (branches, leaves, and inflorescences). The populations of the four species were pyramid shaped with a rich seedling and juvenile base, which demonstrated a strong ability to increase in number rapidly and adapt to the environment. The Godron index indicated that the stability of age structures of the four species were A. lacteal > S. chamaejasme > G. straminea > P. kansuensis. Significant self-thinning was exhibited by branches of A. lacteal, branches and leaves of S. chamaejasme, and inflorescences of P. kansuensis. The self-thinning exponents from the allometric relationships between biomass and density differed at the level of branches, leaves, and inflorescences in the four poisonous forbs. We concluded that the populations of the four poisonous species were stable and able to increase in number rapidly on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
AB - Age structure and self-thinning indicate the development of plant species and their adaptability to the environment, and the proportion of poisonous plants could reflect the status of grasslands degradation. Little is known about age structure and self-thinning of poisonous dicotyledonous forbs in the alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. We selected four poisonous dicotyledonous species, namely Anaphalis lacteal, Stellera chamaejasme, Pedicularis kansuensis, and Gentiana straminea, and determined their age structures by using number of branches, crown diameters, and plant heights and their self-thinning by using dry weights and different components (branches, leaves, and inflorescences). The populations of the four species were pyramid shaped with a rich seedling and juvenile base, which demonstrated a strong ability to increase in number rapidly and adapt to the environment. The Godron index indicated that the stability of age structures of the four species were A. lacteal > S. chamaejasme > G. straminea > P. kansuensis. Significant self-thinning was exhibited by branches of A. lacteal, branches and leaves of S. chamaejasme, and inflorescences of P. kansuensis. The self-thinning exponents from the allometric relationships between biomass and density differed at the level of branches, leaves, and inflorescences in the four poisonous forbs. We concluded that the populations of the four poisonous species were stable and able to increase in number rapidly on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
KW - Age structure
KW - Poisonous dicotyledonous plants
KW - Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
KW - Self-thinning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85142122220&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.rama.2022.10.003
DO - 10.1016/j.rama.2022.10.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85142122220
SN - 1550-7424
VL - 86
SP - 1
EP - 8
JO - Rangeland Ecology and Management
JF - Rangeland Ecology and Management
ER -