Photosynthetic pathway and morphological functional types in the steppe vegetation from Inner Mongolia, North China

Photosynthetic pathway (C-3, C-4, and CAM) and morphological functional types were identified for the forage species from steppe vegetation in Inner Mongolia, China, using the data from both field survey and references. Of the total 136 identified vascular species, in 29 families and 89 genera, 78% were found with C3 photosynthesis, including dominant herbs, e.g. Stipa grandis P. Smirn., S. krylovii Roshev., and Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. These C-3 species covered about 90% of the total herbage production in the steppe. 20% were found with C-4 photosynthesis and 2% with CAM photosynthesis. Photosynthetic pathway functional types were coarse and may not fit for the studies and land management in small scales, because of the high C-3 photosynthesis composition and the few families in which C-4 species occur. Morphological functional types (e.g. shrubs, high perennial grasses, short perennial graminaceous plants, annual grasses, annual forbs, perennial forbs, and succulents) may be practical for spatial and temporal descriptions of steppe ecosystems in local and region scales. Classification for plant functional types, especially morphological types, may contribute to studying the links between plant species and communities, ecosystems, and global changes, and for steppe management decisions in the region.