The vascular plant flora of Hustai National Park, Mongolia: Composition, life forms, ecological groups and geographical elements

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Tseren Ochir Tserendulam - , Hustai National Park, National University of Mongolia (Author)
  • Uudus Bayarsaikhan - , National University of Mongolia (Author)
  • Batlai Oyuntsetseg - , National University of Mongolia (Author)
  • Karsten Wesche - , International Institute Zittau, Chair of Biodiversity of Higher Plants, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle—Jena—Leipzig (Author)

Abstract

The present study gives an overview of the flora of Hustai National Park, which hosts southern outposts of boreal forests embedded in a matrix of typical steppes. We address floristic composition, life forms, ecological groups and geographical elements, and compare our data against studies from broadly similar regions. A total of 493 vascular plant species belonging to 246 genera and 65 families were recorded. The biggest plant families are Asteraceae (67 species) followed by Poaceae (56 species), Fabaceae (51 species), and Rosaceae (33 species), while 21 families were represented by only one species each. Mesophytes (32.5%) and xerophytes (25.4%) were the most frequent ecological groups, indicating a typical mountain steppe environment. Most species were hemicryptophytes (56.8%), followed by therophytes (18.7%) and cryptophytes (geophytes 10.5%), while the least frequent life form classes were chamaephytes (5.1%) and helophytes (0.2%). Asian chorological elements constituted 52.3% of the total flora, while Eurasian account for 30%, Holarctic for 14.8%, Asian-American for 1.4% and Cosmopolitan for 1.4%. The Hustai mountain range thus represents a key example of the transition zone between the relatively moist Taiga forests and the drier steppe grasslands. These climate transitional zones are very sensitive to changing climate and land use.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)137-160
Number of pages24
JournalFeddes Repertorium
Volume129
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2018
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • distribution, flora, Hustai National Park, life form, vascular plants