The Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Plant Diversity and Its Driving Factors in the Eastern Foothills of the Taihang Mountains

Jujube is an important plant in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern China, and studying the spatial distribution characteristics of plant diversity in its community is crucial for the ecological protection and restoration of arid and semi-arid areas. In this paper, the spatial characteristics of plant α and β diversity and their driving factors in wild jujube shrubs in the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains were studied by using quadrat survey, non-metric multidimensional scale ranking, Spearman analysis, RDA analysis and other methods or means. The results show that: (1) In wild jujube shrubs in the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains, 20 species of shrub plants in 10 families and 11 genera, and 64 species of herbaceous plants in 21 families and 38 genera were recorded. (2) In terms of α diversity, the spatial distribution of Shannon index and Margalef index of shrub plants was higher in the north and south section and lower in the middle section. The spatial distribution of Shannon index and Margalef index of herbaceous plants was consistent with that of shrub plants. Both the Simpson index and Pielou index of shrub plants and herbaceous plants have no obvious spatial distribution characteristics. In terms of β diversity, the species composition of shrubs in the middle part was the most similar to that of other plots, while the species composition of herbs in the southern part was the most similar to that of other plots, and the spatial distribution of Jaccard index was consistent with that of Sorensen index. The spatial replacement rate of shrubs in the southern section is the fastest, and the replacement rate of herbaceous plants has no obvious rule. (3) According to the analysis of soil physical and chemical properties, it was found that the soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and water content were lower in the middle part, higher in the south and north section, and soil is mainly composed of silt. (4) The total explanation rate of environmental factors to plant α diversity index is 60.58%. The factors with positive and significant explanation rate are soil particle size (14.30%), soil density (11.20%), soil organic carbon (11.00%), precipitation (6.90%) and porosity (6.30%). There is a significant positive correlation between soil organic carbon and shrub Shannon index and Margalef index. The proportion of soil silt was positively correlated with shrub Shannon index and Margalef index, and the average annual precipitation was positively correlated with shrub Margalef index. In summary, the plant diversity in the north and south section of the eastern foot of Taihang Mountains is relatively rich, while the diversity in the middle section is relatively low. Soil physical and chemical properties and precipitation have a significant impact on the plant diversity of the community.