There are 18 categories of grassland types in China. The grassland is rich in plant diversity, and different landscapes are presented throughout the year due to the seasonal changes of plants

The popularity of the TV series My Altay has brought the beautiful Altay grassland into the eyes of more people. The vast grassland, flowing water, flocks of cattle and sheep, and the diverse and changing scenery between mountains and valleys are desirable.

What do you think of the grassland? How many kinds of beautiful grasslands are there?

Grassland is one of the largest and most widely distributed terrestrial ecosystems on the earth. There are 18 categories of grassland types in China. According to the zonal distribution law determined by the hydrothermal conditions, from south to north, there are dry hot savannah, hot scrub grass, hot grass, warm scrub grass, and warm grass; From east to west, there are temperate meadow grasslands, temperate typical grasslands, temperate desert grasslands and temperate deserts on the Inner Mongolia Plateau, and alpine meadows, alpine meadow grasslands, alpine desert grasslands and alpine deserts on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. In addition, other mountainous areas are also distributed with mountain meadows and mountain grasslands, and low-lying areas or coastal areas are distributed with lowland meadows, swamp meadows and other non zonal grasslands.

The grassland type in Altay is mostly desert grassland. There are various landforms here, including five types of mountains, basins, river valleys, gobi and deserts, forming three climatic regions, namely, the northern middle high mountain climatic region, the low mountain hilly climatic region and the plain climatic region. The diverse vertical landform and climate characteristics make the grassland types in Altay rich and diverse, including alpine meadow, mountain grassland, temperate meadow grassland, temperate desert grassland and other types.

The grassland is rich in plant diversity. Due to the seasonal changes of plants throughout the year, it presents different landscapes of "green in spring, colorful in summer, yellow in autumn, and gray in winter". In spring, grasses, roses and other plants turn green, tiller and jointing, like a boundless green carpet; In summer, Compositae, Rosaceae and other plants compete to blossom, forming a colorful sea of grassland flowers; In autumn, the grass family, compositae and other plants bear fruit, and the leaves of grassland plants turn yellow, presenting a brilliant golden picture; In winter, the grassland plants wither and appear gray and white under the heavy snow.

"Living by water and grass" was once the production and life style of nomads in Altay grassland. Therefore, the "Four Seasons Pasture" described in literary works is a vivid portrayal of the rich types of local grassland. Through the transition, nomads establish a balanced relationship among grassland resources, livestock and people to avoid excessive utilization of grassland resources. Today, the concept of protecting grassland ecosystem and avoiding excessive development and utilization has been carried forward and become widely recognized.

(The author is the dean of the College of Grassland and Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, interviewed by our reporter Chang Qin)

Email for topic selection clues: rmrbnature@163.com

People's Daily (May 22, 2024, 14th Edition)

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