Arid Zone Research ›› 2019, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (4): 886-892.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2019.04.12

• Plant Resources • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Ephemeral Plants and Their Newly Recorded Species in the Southwest Taklimakan Desert

Aysajan Abdusalam1,2, Pataimu Yiming2, Kadir Abdurixit1,2, ZHANG Kai1,2   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology and Biological Resources in Yarkand Oasis at Colleges & Universities under the Department of Education of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,Kashi University,Kashi 844006,Xinjiang,China;
    2. College of Life and Geographic Sciences,Kashi University,Kashi 844006,Xinjiang,China
  • Received:2013-09-18 Revised:2013-11-29 Published:2025-10-18

Abstract: In this paper,the ephemeral plants growing in desert environment in the southwest Taklimakan Desert were studied by the means of field investigation,specimens of finishing and data access,and their species compositions,life history characters (phenological characters) and flora characteristics were analyzed.The results showed that:① The ephemeral plants including 27 species in 21 genera and 8 families in the study area were preliminarily identified,which were Brassicaceae,Asteraceae,Solanaceae,Geraniaceae,Papaveraceae,Plantaginaceae,Boraginaceae,and Poaceae,in which there were 15 species in Brassicaceae.There were also 10 newly recorded species,i.e.,the Malcolmia scorpioides,Sisymbrium altissimum,Koelpinia linearis,Rromus squarrosus,Eremopyrum triticeum,Hyoscyamus pusillus,Sisymbrium heteromallum,Echinops gmelinii,Erodium stephanianum and Cardaria draba,accounting for 37% of the ephemeral species in the study area.② The life cycle of the ephemeral plants in this area was characterized by spring ephemeral plant type,winter ephemeral plant type and summer ephemeral plant type.The low-altitude environment was mainly expressed by the winter ephemeral plant type and spring ephemeral plant type,and the high-altitude environment was expressed by the winter ephemeral plant type and summer ephemeral plant type.③ The ephemeral plants in the study area belonged to the distribution patterns of northern temperate zone,the zone from Mediterranean-West Asia to Central Asia,Old World temperate zone,world temperate and Central Asia.Among them 15 species belonged to the distribution patterns of northern temperate zone and the zone from Mediterranean-West Asia to Central Asia,and they accounted for 51.86% of the total in the study area.Accordingly,especially the newly recorded species,enriched the database of plant genetic diversity in the special habitat of south Xinjiang,and also were of the important scientific significance for researching the response of ephemeral plants to different ecological environments.

Key words: habitat, ephemeral plant, species composition, flora, life history, South Xinjiang