The convergence of species composition along the drawdown zone of the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir, China: implications for restoration

Many rivers across the globe are regulated by dams, resulting in a strong alteration of the plant community composition of the drawdown zone. But, how these changes happen along the drawdown zone is less understood. In this study, a multivariate analysis was used to explore plant composition and similarity along the drawdown zone of the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir (TGDR), China. The dominant plant species, species richness, indicator species, and growth form were compared among the upstream, midstream, and downstream of the TGDR. Moreover, variation partitioning was used to determine the relative importance of environmental factors and spatial factors. Results showed that only a few species contributed the most to the community composition of the study area, and there was an extreme similarity in the plant community composition across the three different river segments. Furthermore, the results of the linear regression model demonstrated a steady declining trend in species richness along the drawdown zone, with the lowest species richness in the downstream segment. In addition, variation partitioning revealed 11% and 8% of the species composition change under environmental and spatial factors, respectively. Our results suggested that the dam impoundment led to the convergence of species composition along the drawdown zone of the TGDR, and environmental filtering and dispersal limitation played an imperative role in shaping species composition. The study highlighted the importance of restoration activities in overcoming the barriers of seed dispersal and seedling establishment in the degraded drawdown zone ecosystem of the TGDR.