Table 1.
Characteristics of the sites from the Northeast China Transect (NECT) used in this analysis.
| Site no. | Latitude (degree) | Longitude (degree) | Elevation (m) | Vegetation types | Temperature in 2011 (°C) | Precipitation in 2011 (mm) | MAP (mm) | CV of MAP | Species sampled | Species life forms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 43.72 | 113.53 | 1027 | Desert steppe | 3.85 | 176.32 | 215.13 | 0.32 | Leymus chinensis | Perennial grasses |
| Stipa krylovii | Perennial grasses | |||||||||
| Convolvulus ammannii | Perennial forbs | |||||||||
| II | 43.99 | 115.07 | 1160 | Steppe | 3.82 | 220.82 | 262.03 | 0.31 | L. chinensis | Perennial grasses |
| S. krylovii | Perennial grasses | |||||||||
| Artemisia pectinata | Annual forbs | |||||||||
| Artemisia frigida | Perennial forbs | |||||||||
| Allium polyrhizum | Perennial forbs | |||||||||
| III | 44.01 | 117.76 | 1251 | Steppe | 3.92 | 304.37 | 362.88 | 0.28 | L. chinensis | Perennial grasses |
| S. krylovii | Perennial grasses | |||||||||
| IV | 44.26 | 120.44 | 381 | Steppe | 4.03 | 379.49 | 361.01 | 0.26 | L. chinensis | Perennial grasses |
| Stipa grandis | Perennial grasses | |||||||||
| A. frigida | Perennial forbs | |||||||||
| Lespedeza bicolor | Shrubs | |||||||||
| Dracocephalum moldavica | Annual forbs | |||||||||
| V | 44.20 | 123.93 | 178 | Meadow steppe | 4.33 | 471.69 | 475.21 | 0.23 | L. chinensis | Perennial forbs |
| S. grandis | Perennial grasses |
MAT, mean annual atmospheric temperature; MAP, mean annual precipitation; CV, coefficient of variation in MAP was calculated using data obtained from 16 meteorological stations along the NECT (Table S1). MAP is the mean of the period from 1 January 1953 to 31 December 2003.