Plant trait-environment trends and their conservation implications for riparian wetlands in the Yellow River

Abstract

Determining the relationship between plant functional traits and the environment are key for the protection and sustainable utilization of riparian wetlands. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, riparian wetlands are divided into seasonal floodplain wetlands (natural) and pond-like wetlands or paddy fields (artificial). Here, species composition differences were catalogued based on plant functional traits including origin, life history, and wetland affinity in natural and artificial wetlands. Wetland physicochemical characteristics and regional socio-economic parameters collected as indicators of environmental variables were used to analyze the plant functional trait-environment relationship. The results reveal that plant functional traits in the seasonal floodplain wetland are impacted by physicochemical characteristics of habitat. The abundance of annual plants tends to decrease with concentration of heavy metals, while species diversity is mainly determined by soil physical and chemical properties, especially soil pH and temperature. Specifically, wetland-obligate species (not in water) are more resistant to heavy metal content in water than species with other types of wetland affinity. Life history strategies of species in artificial sites tend to be significantly associated with animal husbandry and artificial populations, while the wetland affinity of species is mainly determined by regional agriculture, especially the installation of agricultural covered areas. Furthermore, water quality and nutrients in suspended sediments from the Yellow River affected species diversity and life history strategies by affecting water and soil conditions of surrounding wetlands, especially conductivity and phosphorus levels.

Keywords: Plant functional traits; Regional socio-economic condition; Sediment nutrients; Water quality; Wetland environmental properties.