Slope aspect effects on plant community characteristics and soil properties of alpine meadows on Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

Abstract

Slope aspect has an important impact on vegetation morphology, structure, and spatial distribution. However, the effects of different slope aspects on the characteristics of plant communities, and soil physical and chemical properties in alpine meadows remains unclear. Here, we selected the gully hillsides of Dangzhou, distributed along the eastern border of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, as the study object. Based on variance and correlation analysis, we determined the following results. The slope aspect has a significant effect on the characteristics of plant communities. Significant differences in plant functional groups and plant diversity among different slope aspects in alpine meadows were found (p-value 0.05). Our findings may provide a scientific basis for the sustainable use of alpine meadows and the evaluation of ecosystem services in alpine meadows.

Keywords

• Slope aspect
• Alpine meadows
• Gully hillsides
• Functional groups
• Plant diversity