Study on the community characteristics and biomass allocation of different vegetation in the Eastern Qilian Mountains

In order to clarify the community characteristics and biomass distribution of different plant communities, the alpine shrub and grassland communities of the Eastern Qilian Mountains were investigated in the field and analyzed in the laboratory. A sample plot survey method was used to study six different plant communities. The results showed that there were 91 species of grass plants in the study area belonging to 22 families and 55 genera and 6 species of shrub plants belonging to 3 families and 4 genera. There were significant differences in density, coverage, and species number among the different shrub communities (P < 0.05) but no significant differences in density, coverage, or species number among the different grassland communities ( P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the aboveground biomass of grasses among the different plant communities, and the biomass of grasses of the willow shrub grassland on sunny slopes was lower than that of the Rhododendron shrub grassland on shady slopes. There were significant differences among the different plant communities ( P < 0.05). The aboveground biomass of the willow shrub community on sunny slopes was higher than that of the Rhododendron shrub community on shady slopes. The underground biomass of the willow shrub community on sunny slopes was lower than that of the Rhododendron shrub community on shady slopes. There were significant differences in the aboveground and underground biomass among the different shrub communities ( P < 0.05). In different plant communities, shrub biomass increased with the increase in shrub height, which accorded a linear relationship. It can be seen that different plant communities are constrained by climate, environmental conditions, and species distributions, which results in significant differences in community characteristics and biomass distribution ( P < 0.05). The results provide a theoretical reference for estimating the productivity of alpine shrub grassland communities and the rational exploitation and utilization of vegetation resources in the Eastern Qilian Mountains.