Population Characteristics of Wild Schisandra chinensis in the Northeast of China and Its Relationship with Environmental Factors

Authors Yan Boqian; Luo Zunlan; Hu Lile

Journal Research of Environmental Sciences , 2013,6:26

Abstract Schisandra chinensis is a popular traditional Chinese medicine, which mainly distributed in the Northeast of China. However, the resources of wild S. chinensis were have been sharply declined due to the influence of over-harvesting, deforestation and other irrational utilize ways. Totally seventeen populations of the wild species distributed along the Changbai Mountains and the Lesser Khingan Mountains were investigated. We analyzed the characteristics of populations and environmental factors, as well as their correlations. The results showed that: 1) The weight of S. chinensis fruit was significantly negatively correlated with the latitude while the basal diameter of the species was significantly positively correlated with the elevation. However, no significant spatial distribution pattern existed for the population density. Furthermore, there was not a significant correlation between the fruit weight, the basal diameter and the population density. 2) The average weight of the fruit and the base diameter were (69.0512.80) g and (0.610.13) cm respectively. About 50% of the population density could fulfill the standards of class 4 (1.5 individuals/m~2 < class 4 ≤ 2 individuals/m~2). 3) The pH of the soil where the wild S. chinensis grew varied from 5.34 to 6.98. The organic carbon contents in the soil significantly varied from 4.42% to 18.47%. The average values of the total nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) in the soil were 0.72%0.28%, 1.74%0.31% and 0.10%0.03%, respectively. 4) The annual precipitation significantly varied from 474 to 928 mm. Reversely, the variation of the annual sunshine hours was very narrow (2219.3 -2703.7 h). The annual average atmospheric temperature and relative humidity were (3.461.44)℃ and 68.9%2.7%, respectively. The analysis results of the principal component analysis showed that the fruit weight was significantly affected by environmental factors, in which the annual average atmospheric temperature was the greatest followed by the total P, N, organic carbon content and the annual precipitation. However, the basal diameter and population density were not significantly affected by environmental factors. The results could provide a theoretical basis for S. chinensis cultivation and would be helpful for promotion of the sustainable use of S. chinensis resources.

Species covered 五味子 Schisandra chinensis