Diversity of plant species of alpine grassland in Nakchu of Tibet, China

Abstract

Characteristics of plant species diversity of two types of grassland communities (alpine meadow and alpine grassland) was examined and the relationship between species diversity and community dynamics was determined using GPS positioning and in situscrutinization of community of alpine grassland in Nakchu prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region. The result indicated that: ① there was an unobvious difference between grassland communities in terms of richness index of plant, evenness index, dominant index and diversity index. The species diversity index followed the orderKobresia humilis meadow>Stipa purpurea steppe>K. littledalei meadow; ② the original community created high diversity, while the degenerative community suffering from serious disturbance was of low diversity; ③ the diversity of community plants was closely related to changes of species biomass, and the growth and decline of species in the community; ④ grazing disturbance is a key factor of community dynamics, leading to coexistence of various secondary successions of communities, diversified suitable habitats and species diversity improvements.