Biology of annual plants in arid and semi-arid desert regions of China

Abstract

Annual species are a major component of desert vegetation, with their unique traits playing a key role in vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid deserts. This chapter presents a systematic discussion of current research status and expectations of future studies with respect to annual species in the deserts of China. To date, studies on annual species have been concerned mainly with vegetation distribution pattern, seed germination, soil seed banks, competitive mechanisms in annual species population, and so on. Due to the important ecological functions of annual species in desert floral systems, further studies on annual species, especially on seed adaptability and plant coexistence mechanisms, would benefit ecosystem conservation and restoration efforts, rational utilisation of resources, and sustainable development of arid and semi-arid deserts.