湖北林业科技

To characterize the baseline features of plant community composition, structure, and diversity in ecological quality plots across Huanggang City, this study analyzed plant species composition, community types, structural characteristics, and diversity indices based on vegetation survey data from 42 ecological quality plots (including 25 forest plots,14 wetland plots,and 3 grassland plots). The results indicate that a total of 352 vascular plant species,belonging to 259 genera and 95 families,were recorded across all sample plots. Among these,angiosperms accounted for 332 species (94.3% of the total),with Poaceae,Asteraceae,and Rosaceae identified as the dominant families. Forest plots were mainly subtropical montane mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests,wetlands were dominated by herbaceous marshes and urban vegetation, and grasslands were temperate shrub-grass communities. The mean canopy closure of the forest tree layer was 65.66%,the mean herbaceous coverage of grasslands reached 99.44%, and wetland herbaceous coverage and biomass showed high spatial heterogeneity. Diversity indices indicated that the forest shrub layer had the highest Shannon-Wiener index,whereas the grassland herb layer had the lowest diversity and evenness,suggesting higher richness and more even species distribution in forest understories and stronger dominance by a few species in grasslands. The occurrence of Alternanthera philoxeroides and other alien or rapidly spreading plants in several wetland plots indicates the need for continued monitoring of invasive plants and riparian disturbances. The findings of this study can provide fundamental data support for long-term monitoring of ecological quality plots, vegetation restoration, management and control of alien invasive plants in wetlands, and regional ecological protection and management in Huanggang City.