A preliminary scheme for an aquatic vegetation classification in China

Abstract

<p indent="0mm">Based on the data of more than 50,000 aquatic plant communities we investigated in China in the past 40 years, referring to the principles, units, and main structure in “A revised scheme of the vegetation classification system of China”, the classification systems of “The Vegetation of China” and the “World Vegetation Classification System”, this paper tries to establish an aquatic vegetation classification system in China preliminarily.The aquatic vegetation classification system in China has upgraded the aquatic vegetation formation to the aquatic vegetation formation group, and six vegetation formation are divided under it: emergent vegetation formation, submerged vegetation formation, rooted floating leaf vegetation formation, free-drifting vegetation formation, planktonic algae vegetation formation and epiphytic algae vegetation formation. At the same time, ten new vegetation subformations were added, including five freshwater vegetation subformations and five marine vegetation subformations. Aquatic vegetation is divided into 205 alliance groups, and 659 alliances ; 659 associations with the same name as the alliences, among which 91 alliances and 312 associations of algal vegetation; 114 alliances and 347 associations of herbs vegetation.