To investigate the effects of the introduction of Robinia pseudoacacia on the functional structure of plant communities, we selected paired-plots of R. pseudoacacia communities and native plant communities across different vegetation zones, i.e., steppe zone, forest-steppe zone, forest zone in hilly-gully region of Loess Plateau, China. We measured several functional characteristics and then compared the functional structures of R. pseudoacacia and native plant communities in different vegetation zones. The results showed that the variation of the functional traits across different vegetation zones were consistent in R. pseudoacacia community and native plant community, including leaf carbon concentration, leaf nitrogen concentration, leaf phosphorus concentration, specific leaf area, and leaf tissue density. The leaf carbon concentration, leaf nitrogen concentration, and specific leaf area of the R. pseudoacacia community were significantly higher than those of the native plant community. The trend of change that the functional diversity indices, i.e., FRic, FEve, FDiv, FDis, Rao of the R. pseudoacacia community and the native plant community with vegetation zones were different. The introduction of R. pseudoacacia enhanced the plant community functional diversity in the forest zone but reduced community functional diversity in the steppe zone.
在黄土丘陵区草原带、森林草原带和森林带3个植被带选取成对的刺槐群落和乡土植物群落功能性状值,研究不同植被带刺槐群落、乡土植物群落功能结构的变化,以及同一植被带下刺槐的引入对群落功能结构的影响.结果表明: 刺槐群落和乡土植物群落的叶碳、叶氮、叶磷、比叶面积、叶组织密度等功能性状随植被带的变化规律一致.刺槐群落叶碳、叶氮、比叶面积显著高于乡土植物群落,且2种群落功能多样性指数(FRic、FEve、FDiv、FDis、Rao)随植被带的变化趋势并不完全一致,在森林带刺槐的引入提高了植物群落功能多样性,在草原带降低了植物群落功能多样性.
Keywords: Robinia pseudoacacia community; functional structure; hilly-gully region of Loess Plateau; native plant community.