STUDY ON COMPOSITION AND FLORISTIC ELEMENTS OF AQUATIC PLANTS IN KARST WETLAND, SOUTH CHINA.

Wetland plant communities are important in maintaining wetland ecosystem functions and conserving biodiversity. However, current studies on the diversity of wetland plant communities are mainly focused on non-karst regions, while there are fewer studies on the diversity of karst wetland plant communities. To address this research gap, this study analyzes the composition and diversity of the flora of the Huixian karst wetland in south China. The results show that there are 133 species of wetland plants in 39 families and 78 genera in the Huixian Karst wetland, including 128 species of angiosperms in 34 families and 73 genera, and 4 genera and 4 species of ferns in 4 families. The dominant families are Gramineae and Cyperaceae, containing 15 and 7 genera respectively; the dominant genera are Polygonum, Heleocharis and Cyperus, each containing 6 species. By life type and ecological characteristics, emergent plants are the most dominant in the Huixian Karst wetland, with 77 species, accounting for 57.46% of the total. The flora of the Huixian Karst Wetland is divided into 10 types and shows obvious tropical subtropical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]