神农架林区植被分布与地形的关系研究

神农架林区是我国物种多样性最为丰富的地区之一,地形地貌复杂,对植被分布影响巨大。本文利用该地区2007年数字高程数据、2007年植被分布图以及2017年野外实地调查数据,基于最大熵模型和空间分析理论,从植被类型和种群两个角度研究该地区不同尺度植被空间分布的地形特征,分别量化植被类型和种群空间分布的地形范围,得到植被类型与地形因子关系模型、植被种群与地形因子关系模型。结果表明:①神农架林区影响植被空间分布的地形因子不同,其中影响针叶林分布的最重要的地形因子是高程和高程变异系数,影响阔叶林分布的是高程和坡向,影响灌丛分布的是坡向变率和坡向,影响草丛分布的较为分散;②典型植被种群分布的地形范围和植被类型的基本一致,其中90%针叶林分布在高程1600~2600 m间,典型种群巴山冷杉和华山松主要分布在高程1700~3200 m和1700~2200 m;85%的阔叶林分布在高程1000~2000 m间,典型种群青冈类和鹅耳枥主要分布在高程1200~2200 m间;95%的灌丛分布在坡向变率0~40°间,典型种群杜鹃和蔷薇主要分布在坡向变率小于40°的范围,但相应的关系模型存在差异,植被类型与地形因子为高斯模型,典型种群与地形因子关系模型相对复杂,不同种群的分布模式不同;③虽然坡度常作为数字地形的重要因子,但本文研究发现该地区坡度对植被类型和种群分布的影响不明显。研究结果可为神农架林区植被保护和恢复,以及植被规划和管理提供基础参考。     

Community characteristics of wild fruit forests along elevation gradients and the relationships between the wild fruit forests and environments in the Keguqin Mountain region of Iii

In this paper,the quantitative relationship between the wild fruit communities and direct environmental factors is discussed on the basis of detailed data on landscape scale habitats obtained through field vegetation investigation.The results from TWINSPAN and DCCA showed that:1) In the distribution sections of the wild fruit forest in the Keguqin Mountain region,the basic patterns characteristic of the different habitats are due to topographic factors,nutrients and moisture conditions;2) The elevation affected the most basic differentiation of plant communities in the study area,indicating that the elevation condition was the most important factor restricting the distribution of the wild fruit communities in the study area;3) The close relationship between the moisture content in the upper soil layer and the elevation reflected the influence of moisture conditions on both wild fruit and herb-layer communities;4) Nutrient differences not only indicated that the habitat conditions were different in themselves but also showed that the present nutrient conditions of the habitats were seriously affected by human activities.In summary,under complicated mountainous topographic conditions,the habitat conditions for the communities differed very significantly,and the combination of elevation,soil moisture content,total nitrogen,slope aspect,and pH value influenced and controlled the formation of community distribution patterns in the study area.     

Interactions between Soil Characteristics,Environmental Factors,and Plant Species Abundance: A Case Study in the Karst Mountains of Longhushan Nature Reserve,Southwest China

The ability to manage and restore plant communities in the face of human-induced landscape change may rely on our ability to predict how species respond to environmental variables.Understanding this response requires examining factors or their interactions that have influence on plant and resource availability.Our objective was to analyze the relationships between changes in plant abundance and the interaction among environmental habitat factors including soil, geological(rock type), and other environmental variables in the Longhushan karst mountains ecosystem.Species density and dominance were examined using ANOVA, ANCOVA,and Generalized Linear Models to establish the single or combined effects of these groups of factors.The results showed that trends in abundance were mainly affected by rock type(related to the percentage content of dolomite and calcite), soil characteristics in association with topography.Both plant indices were higher in dolomite dominated areas and varied positively with moisture, and elevation, but negatively with organic matter, while density also increased with slope degree.The results demonstrate that significant variations in species abundance was produced with the combination of variables from soil, geological, andenvironmental factors, suggesting their interaction influence on plants.We postulate that spatial variations in plant abundance in karst ecosystem depends on the carbonate rock type in addition to water and nutrient availability which are mainly controlled by topography and other factors such as soil texture and temperature.The study suggests that in karst areas carbonate rock type, in addition to local environmental variables, should be taken into account when analyzing the factors that have impact on plant communities.     

Shrub Communities and Environmental Variables Responsible for Species Distribution Patterns in an Alpine Zone of the Qilian Mountains,Northwest China

Understanding the factors that drive variation in species distribution is a central theme of ecological research. Although several studies focused on alpine vegetation, few efforts have been made to identify the environmental factors that are responsible for the variations in species composition and richness of alpine shrublands using numericalmethods. In the present study, we investigated vegetation and associated environmental variables from 45 sample plots in the middle Qilian Mountains of the northwestern China to classify different community types and to elucidate the speciesenvironment relationships. We also estimated the relative contributions of topography and site conditions to spatial distribution patterns of the shrub communities using the variation partitioning. The results showed that four shrub community types were identified and striking differences in floristic composition were found among them. Species composition greatly depended on elevation, slope,shrub cover, soil p H and organic carbon. The important determinants of species richness were soil bulk density and slope. No significant differences in species richness were detected among the community types. Topography and site conditions had almost equal effects on compositional variation. Nonetheless,a large amount of the variation in species composition remained unexplained.     

喀斯特地区植被覆盖度变化及地形与人口效应研究

喀斯特山地流域植被变化具有独特性,探究其植被变化特征有利于石漠化治理和退耕还林工程科学实施。本文选取1990-2016年贵州石阡河流域Landsat系列遥感影像,采用像元二分模型和相关分析等方法研究流域植被覆盖度时空变化特征,并探究其变化的地形效应和人口效应。研究表明：① 1990-2016年贵州石阡河流域植被覆盖度总体处于上升趋势,植被恢复取得较好效果;② 1990-2016年贵州石阡河流域植被覆盖度变化的地形效应中,随海拔和坡度上升,植被覆盖度总体处于稳定上升趋势。随坡向变化中,无坡向地区植被覆盖度最低,其他坡向差异不明显;③ 1990-2016年贵州石阡河流域植被覆盖度变化的人口效应中,随人口密度上升,植被覆盖度总体处于下降趋势。研究结果可以为喀斯特地区退耕还林还草和石漠化治理提供科学依据。     

Vertical patterns in plant diversity and their relations with environmental factors on the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains (middle section) in Xinjiang (China)

The investigation of distribution patterns of species diversity is significant for successful biodiversity conservation. The spatial patterns of vegetation and different life-forms species diversity along an elevation gradient in the middle section of the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China were explored, using the detrended canonical correspondence analysis(DCCA) and the generalized additive model(GAM) methods based on a field survey of 53 sampling plots. In this work 158 species of seed plants were recorded, including 141 herbaceous, 14 shrub, and 2 tree species, in which the woody plants are very limited. 53 sampling plots were classified into 9 major plant communities. The results indicate that the herb communities were the most sensitive to changes in elevation gradient. The diversity indices of the community as a whole presented bimodal patterns. The peak values for the species diversities were found in the transition region between mountain steppe desert and mountain desert steppe(2,200–2,300m), and in the alpine grassland region(2,900–3,100m), while maximum species diversities were in the areas of intermediate environmental gradient. The main environmental factors on the distribution patterns in plant diversity were the elevation, soil water, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, organic matter, and total salt. The response tendency of the four diversity indices for the whole community to the soil environment was the same as that of the herb layers.     

Effect of environmental gradients on the quantity and quality of fallen logs in Tsuga longibracteata forest in Tianbaoyan National Nature Reserve, Fujian province, China

We investigated the quantity and quality 0f fallen l0gs in different Tsuga l0ngibracteata f0rest c0mmunities in the Tianba0yan Nati0nal Nature Reserve. We used redundancy analysis t0 determine the spatial distributi0n 0f fallen l0gs in the different f0rest c0mmunities and t0 analyze the relati0nships am0ng stand structure, t0p0graphic fact0rs and human disturbance. The v0lume, c0vered area, mean l0g length and number 0f fallen l0gs differed significantly am0ng f0rest types （P 〈 0.05）, but mean diameter at breast height sh0wed n0 significant difference （P 〉 0.05）. The l0g v0lume and c0vered area in different f0rest types sh0wed the f0ll0wing trend： T. l0ngibracteata pure f0rest 〈 T. l0ngibracteata ＋ Olig0staehyum scabrifl0rur 〈 T. l0ngibraeteata ＋ hardw00d 〈 Rh0d0dendr0n simiarum ＋ T. l0ngibraeteata 〈 T. l0ngibraeteata ＋ Phyll0stachys heter0cycla pubescens. The spatial distributi0n patterns 0f l0gs quantity and quality indicated that l0g v0lume and c0vered area were str0ngly affected by envir0nmental fact0rs in the f0ll0wing 0rder： human disturbance 〉 elevati0n 〉 sl0pe p0siti0n 〉 b0le height 〉 tree height 〉 sl0pe aspect 〉 density 〉 basal area 〉 sl0pe gradient. The relative c0ntributi0n 0f envir0nmental variables 0n the t0tal variance was t0p0graphy （76%） 〉 disturbance （42%） 〉 stand structure （35%）. T0p0graphy and disturbance c0mbined explained 8.2% 0f the variance. Fallen l0~s auantitv and aualitvwere negatively related t0 elevati0n and sl0pe p0siti0n, and p0sitively ass0ciated t0 human disturbance. The l0g v0lume decreased fr0m n0rthern t0 s0uthern sl0pes. Envir0nmental fact0rs had the highest impact 0n class I （slightly decayed）, and l0west impact 0n class V （highly decayed）.     

Influence of vegetation cover and other sources of variability on sediment and runoff response in a burned forest in South Korea

Post-fire field measurements of sediment and run off yield were undertaken in natural rainfall event-basis during five rainy months in Korea on a total of 15 small plots: four replica burned unseeded plots, six replica burned seeded plots, and five replica unburned plots. The main aim was to evaluate the effects of vegetation recovery and spatial distribution patterns on sediment and runoff response between and within the treatment replica erosion plots. Six-years after the wildfire, total sediment and runoff yield in the burned unseeded plots with 20%-30% vegetation cover was still 120.8 and 20.6 times higher than in the unburned treatment plots with 100% ground cover, 8.3 and 6.7 times higher than in the burned seeded plots with 70%-80% vegetation cover, while only 1.6 and 2.0 times higher than in the burned seeded plots with 50%-60% vegetation cover, respectively. The differences in sediment and runoff yield between the treatment plots was proportional to total vegetation cover, distance of bare soil to vegetation cover, magnitude of rainfall characteristics and changes in soil properties, but not slope gradient. Three out of the six within-treatment pairs of two replica plots showed large differences in sediment and runoff yield of up to 6.0 and 4.2 times and mean CV of up to 99.1% and 62.2%, respectively. This was due to differences in the spatial distribution patterns of surface cover features, including aggregation of vegetation and litter covers, the distance of bare soil exposed to vegetation cover closer to the plot sediment collector and micro topographic mounds and sinks between pairs of replica plots. Small differences in sediment and runoff of only 0.9-1.4 folds and mean CV of 8.6%-25% were observed where the within-treatment pairs of replica plots had similar slope, total surface cover components and comparable spatial distribution pattern of vegetation and bare soil exposed surface covers. The results indicated that post-fire hillslopes undergoing effective vegetation recovery have the potential to reduce sediment and runoff production nearer to unburned levels within 6-years after burning while wildfire impacts could last more than 6-years on burned unseeded ridge slopes undergoing slow vegetation recovery.     

Investigation of rangeland indicator species using parametric and non-parametric methods in hilly landscapes of central Iran

This study aimed to identify indicator species and explore the most important environmental and management variables contributing to vegetation distribution in a hilly upper dam landscape in Zagros Mountain chain, Iran. A stratified random sampling method was used to collect topographic, edaphic, management and vegetation data. The density and cover percentage of perennial species were measured quantitatively. Indicator species were identified using the two-way indicator species analysis. Besides calculating physiognomic factors in sample sites, 24 soil samples were collected from 0 to 30 cm of soil depth and analyzed in terms of gravel percentage, texture, saturation moisture, organic matter, pH and electrical conductivity in saturation extract, lime percentage, soluble calcium and magnesium, available phosphorus, Cation Exchange Capacity(CEC) and soluble sodium and potassium. Multivariate techniques including Canonical Correspondence Analysis and Multi-Dimensional Scaling were used to explore the relationships of species with environmental and management variables. Seven plants were identified as indicator species due to being significantly correlated with management(grazing or non-grazing) and edaphic variables such as CEC, soil texture, pH, CaCO_3 percentage and physiographic variable including slope, elevation, and convex and concave formations(p 0.05). Overall, overgrazing and its subsequent effects on soil characteristics, loss of vegetation cover and trampling were found as the major causes of deterioration. Sustainable and integrated management practices such as the implementation of appropriate grazing systems were suggested to enhance soil quality and reduce the accelerated erosion in upper dam zones.     

地形复杂山区常用植被指数的地形校正对比

植被指数能反映地表植被生长、覆盖等情况,常作为反演植物生物物理参量的有效参数。然而,在地形复杂的山区,由于地形效应的影响,导致一些植被指数适用性受限。基于以上现状,本文以贵州省江口县为研究区,采用4种地形校正模型（Teillet-回归模型、Minnaert模型、C模型、SCS+C模型）对常用植被指数（SR、MSR、NDVI、SAVI、MSAVI、EVI）进行地形校正,以评价不同坡度条件下植被指数地形校正效果。结果表明：地形校正对缓解波段比形式的植被指数（SR、MSR、NDVI）地形效应的作用有限,而对非波段比形式的植被指数（SAVI、MSAVI、EVI）效果较好。另外,随着坡度增加,地形效应显著,地形校正效果也更明显：坡度较小时,波段比形式的植被指数无需进行地形校正,而建议非波段比形式的植被指数进行地形校正;坡度较大时,建议2类植被指数都进行地形校正,但非波段比形式的植被指数可能会发生过度校正现象。此外,地形校正后非波段比形式的植被指数与森林地上生物量线性回归模型的精度明显提高。因此,建议在地形复杂山区利用非波段比形式的植被指数进行定量反演时,先进行地形校正。     

Soil carbon stock and flux in plantation forest and grassland ecosystems in Loess Plateau,China

Carbon sequestration occurs when cultivated soils are re-vegetated. In the hilly area of the Loess Plateau, China, black locust(Robinia pseudoacacia) plantation forest and grassland were the two main vegetation types used to mitigate soil and water loss after cultivation abandonment. The purpose of this study was to compare the soil carbon stock and flux of these two types of vegetation which restored for 25 years. The experiment was conducted in Yangjuangou catchment in Yan′an City, Shaanxi Province, China. Two adjacent slopes were chosen for this study. Six sample sites were spaced every 35–45 m from summit to toe slope along the hill slope, and each sample site contained three sampling plots. Soil organic carbon and related physicochemical properties in the surface soil layer(0–10 cm and 10–20 cm) were measured based on soil sampling and laboratory analysis, and the soil carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions and environmental factors were measured in the same sample sites simultaneously. Results indicated that in general, a higher soil carbon stock was found in the black locust plantation forest than that in grassland throughout the hill slope. Meanwhile, significant differences in the soil carbon stock were observed between these two vegetation types in the upper slope at soil depth 0–10 cm and lower slope at soil depth 10–20 cm. The average daily values of the soil CO2 emissions were 1.27 μmol/(m2·s) and 1.39 μmol/(m2·s) for forest and grassland, respectively. The soil carbon flux in forest covered areas was higher in spring and less variation was detected between different seasons, while the highest carbon flux was found in grassland in summer, which was about three times higher than that in autumn and spring. From the carbon sequestration point of view, black locust plantation forest on hill slopes might be better than grassland because of a higher soil carbon stock and lower carbon flux.     

Spatial distribution of land cover and vegetation activity along topographic gradient in an arid river valley, SW China

Anthropogenic activities have become more and more important in characterizing the landscape, but their impacts are still restricted by natural environments. This paper discusses the interactions of anthropogenic activity, vegetation activity and topography through describing the spatial distribution of land cover and vegetation activity （represented by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI） along topographic gradient in a mountainous area of southwestern China. Our results indicate that the existing landscape pattern is controlled by anthropogenic activities as well as topographic factors. Intensive anthropogenic activities mainly occur in areas with relatively low elevation, gentle and concave slopes, as these areas are easy and convenient to attain for human. Because of the destruction by human, some land cover types （mainly grassland and shrub） are only found in relatively harsher environments. This study also finds that topographic wetness index （W） used in other places only reflects runoff generation capacity, but not indicate the real spatial pattern of soil water content in this area. The relationships between NDVI and W, and NDVI and length slope factor （LSF） show that runoff and erosion have complex effects on vegetation activity. Greater values of W and LSF will lead to stronger capacity to produce runoff and transport sediment, and thereby increase soil water content and soil deposition, whereas beyond a certain threshold runoff and erosion are so strong that they would destruct vegetation growth. This study provides information needed to successfully restore native vegetation, improve land management, and promote sustainable development in mountainous areas, especially for developing regions.     

桂林-阳朔地区DEM地形特征与岩性相关性分析及分类研究

地形地貌是岩性解译的重要信息,地形因子作为描述DEM数字曲面几何特征的定量指标参数,可用来定量化表达不同岩性所在地区地形地貌特征。本文以桂林-阳朔地区为研究区,研究地形因子数学、地质意义,建立岩性与地形因子组合间的定量关联,进而实现岩石类型划分。本文基于ASTERGDEM提取坡度、起伏度等12个地形因子,在分析各个地形因子地质意义基础上,通过聚类分析及方差分析的多元统计分析方法,研究各岩性地形因子特性及其关联性,建立研究区岩性之间的定量差异;此外,利用因子分析方法研究岩性分类过程中的主导因素,确定适宜岩性分类方法以实现定量化岩性分类。实验结果表明：不同岩性、不同地形地貌的地形因子（组合）之间具有显著差异,基于因子分析得到的宏观地形复杂度指数（MTI）以及微观曲率指数（MCI）对岩石类型的分类精度达77.36%。研究表明,地形复杂度等地形因子可用于岩性分类,采用因子分析方法可获取反映地形地貌宏观、微观特征的定量指标,且岩性分类效果良好。     

The influence of environmental variables on distribution patterns of Irano-Turanian forests in Alborz Mountains,Iran

Topographic and edaphic variables are the main ecological factor determining species spatial variability on mountainous forests. A field study was performed in central Alborz to investigate how the edaphic and topographic parameters can affect the tree and shrub communities. Initially, 27 forest stands were identified and the homogeneous units were separated regarding physiognomy. In each single homogeneous unit, one random sample plot (1000 m2) and totally 43 plots were established. In each plot, the presence and abundance of all trees and shrubs were recorded and four soil samples were taken from depths of 0-5 and 5-20 cm. Concerning classification results, eight different forest communities were identified. The lowest and highest soil pH values were observed in Malus orientalis and pistacia-Amygdalus communities, respectively. The water saturation percent of pure- and mixed Juniperus excelsa and Rhus coriaria was the highest amongst communities. The clay content was the highest in pure J. excelsa. The 0-5 organic matter and Nitrogen content in mixed J. excelsa were significantly higher than pure J. excelsa and other communities. The CCA (Canonical Correspondence Analysis) results indicated that the altitude, precipitation, pH, EC, SP, clay and CaCO₃ are the most important factors determine the distribution of trees and shrub in central Alborz     

Changes in vegetation and soil properties during recovery of a subtropical forest in South China

Secondary forests account for a large amount of subtropical forest due to persistent anthropogenic disturbance in China. The interaction between vegetation and soil during recovery process is rather complex and dependent on forest conditions. Understanding how vegetation and soil properties changes and how their relationship develops in secondary forests is key to effective forest restoration and management. Here we explored the patterns of vegetation and soil properties as well as their correlations during forest recovery process in a subtropical forest in south China. Plots of three forest types, i.e., broadleaf-conifer mixed forest, broadleaved forest and old growth stand, were established to represent the recovery stages. The results showed that diversity patterns in the tree, shrub and herb layers were different: in the tree layer the species diversity peaked at the intermediate stage, while in the understory layers it decreased chronologically. Most of the soil factors showed an increasing trend, and different effects of soil factors were found for the three layers as well as for the two spatial scales. Together, our results suggested that vegetation and soil might be interdependent during the recovery course. Further studies are needed on exploring how vegetation interplays with soil at different scales and how nutrient limitations affects the vegetation development in a chronosequence.     

Spatial heterogeneity of soil mineral oxide components in depression between karst hills,Southwest China

In karst regions,the spatial heterogeneity of soil mineral oxides and environmental variables is still not clear.We investigated the spatial heterogeneity of SiO2,Al2O3,Fe2O3,CaO,MgO,P2O5,K2O,and MnO contents in the soils of slope land,plantation forest,secondary forest,and primary forest,as well as their relationships with environmental variables in a karst region of Southwest China.Geostatistics,principal component analysis(PCA),and canonical correlation analysis(CCA)were applied to analyze the field data.The results show that SiO2was the predominant mineral in the soils(45.02%–67.33%),followed by Al2O3and Fe2O3.Most soil mineral oxide components had a strong spatial dependence,except for CaO,MgO,and P2O5in the plantation forest,MgO and P2O5in the secondary forest,and CaO in the slope land.Dimensionality reduction in PCA was not appropriate due to the strong spatial heterogeneity in the ecosystems.Soil mineral oxide components,the main factors in all ecosystems,had greater influences on vegetation than those of conventional soil properties.There were close relationships between soil mineral oxide components and vegetation,topography,and conventional soil properties.Mineral oxide components affected species diversity,organic matter and nitrogen levels.     

Effects of geomorphology and soil conditions on vegetation structure in conserved desert wadis: A case study of Jal AlZor escarpment,Kuwait

Variations in phytogeography of Jal Al-Zor wadi system in Sabah Al Ahmad Nature Reserve, an arid national park in Kuwait, in relation to physiographic and edaphic conditions were investigated using alpha diversity and multivariate analyses. A total of 66 plant species were recorded at low-relief and high-relief wadis. Altitude and slope gradients, grain size distribution and soil texture properties had a significant relationship with plant cover and plant diversity. There was a high diversity of life-forms along the wadi system with a dominant of therophytes(annuals) particularly in spring after winter rainfalls. Chamaephytes and hemicryptophytes were the dominant perennial life-forms. A chorological analysis documents the strong effect of Saharo-Arabian chorotype on the vegetation of the study area. Cluster analysis clarified eight vegetation assemblages along altitude and slope gradients within the wadi system. Alpha diversity of plant species was greater in plant assemblages at low-relief wadis than at high-relief wadis. Vegetation structure in this study showed that phytogeographically, wadis of Jal Al-Zor were closely related to the wadis in the Arabian deserts. The slope gradient pattern and edaphic conditions of plant assemblages and plant diversity in the conserved wadis of Jal Al-Zor may be suggested as a reference model for restoration strategy of disturbed low elevated wadis in the surrounding desert regions.Restoration would include propagation of suitable plants such as Stipagrostis plumosa-Haloxylon salicornicum-Rhanterium epapposum.     

Eco-morphological characteristics of fern species for slope conservation

Degradation of slopes due to shallow landslide and the subsequent erosional processes are a big challenge on the application of soil bioengineering techniques; that is the use of plants as main structural components of a slope protection and conservation system. An optimal application of soil bioengineering techniques should include not only the technical factor of plants as structural components but also the ecology of species and the plant adaptations to disturbances, which is crucial if a longterm successful slope restoration system is intended. Ferns are a dominant understory vegetation species in the forest of Japan, but its characteristics and influences on the recovery of shallow landslide scars have not been fully studied yet. This study aims to find out the ecological characteristics of fern species through the calculation of ecological indicators and the quantification of the morphological features of specimens growing on disturbed and non-disturbed forest slopes in Japan. Gleichenia japonica was found as the vegetation species with biggest ecological indicators on both slopes. The analysis of morphological characteristics of the specimens growing on both sites showed that the development of the specimens is focused in below-ground characteristics. The pull-out force of Gleichenia japonica root system as an indicator of ecological adaptation to a constraint environment and morphological characteristics quality is influenced by height and root length according to the principal component analysis. The eco-morphological characteristics of species can be used as an indicator of an optimal element in soil bioengineering establishment for slope conservation proposes. The long and fibrous root system could be placed on forest roads, steep or small slopes where space limitation is an issue for the establishment of bigger species and if the slope conditions allow it, it can control soil losses due to rainfall and provide stability.     

Vegetation-environment relationships between northern slope of Karlik Mountain and Naomaohu Basin, East Tianshan Mountains

Based on data from 22 sample plots and applying the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA),this paper discusses the vegetation-environment relationships between the northern slope of Karlik Mountain and Naomaohu Basin,which is situated in the easternmost end of the Tianshan Mountains,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China.For the zonal vegetation,community diversity of mountain vegetation is higher than that of the desert vegetation due to environmental factors.The CCA ordination diagram revealed that the composition and distribution of vegetation types are mainly determined by altitude,soil pH and soil salt content.With increasing elevation,the soil pH and total salt content decrease but the contents of soil organic matter,soil water,total nitrogen and total phosphorus increase gradually.In the CCA ordination diagrams,the sample plots and main species can be divided into five types according to their adaptations to the environmental factors.Type I is composed of desert vegetation distributed on the low mountains,hills,plains and deserts below an elevation of 1900 m;type II is distributed in the mountain and desert ecotone with an elevation of 1900-2300 m,and includes steppe desert,desert steppe and wetland meadow;type III is very simply composed of only salinized meadow;type IV is distributed above an elevation of 2300 m,containing mountain steppe,meadow steppe,subalpine meadow and alpine meadow;type V only contains salinized meadow.The results show that with increasing elevation,species combination changes from the xerophytic shrubs,semi-shrubs and herbs distributed in the low altitude zone with arid climate to the cold-tolerant perennial herbs growing in the high altitudinal zone with cold climate.