Application of distance based indices to measure pattern of functional diversity of gentiana macrophylla pall. communities: a case study from dongling mountain meadow, Beijing, china

Functional diversity changes with the change of environmental variables' values in Gentiana macrophylla communities in Dongling Mountain. Seventy-five quadrats of 1m*1m around 15 sampling zones separated by 50m in meadow elevation were fixed. Functional traits, community composition and various environmental factors were measured, observed and recorded in each quadrat. Soil samples were also collected and then analyzed in laboratory for five soil nutrients' contents. Ten functional diversity indices based on functional distances (FAD1, MFAD, FDp, FDc, wFDp, wFDc, Rao, rRao, FDiv, FDis) were used to find out functional diversity. Functional diversity was found to be significantly affected by variation in elevation. Besides elevation, slope aspect, soil type, soil pH, disturbance, total phosphorus, magnesium and zinc also proved to be significantly important for functional diversity change of G. macrophylla communities. Rank-order correlation coefficient between/among species diversity and functional diversity indices indicated that changes in functional diversity were significantly correlated to species richness and heterogeneity while no significant correlation was observed for species evenness. Principle component analysis showed that all the indices were correlated to each other. Criteria defined by these results will prove helpful for management and conservation of G. macrophylla communities and other medicinal plant species in Dongling Mountain meadow. (author)