BEST-Tongbiguan

Mt. Tongbiguan (铜壁关)

Mt. Tongbiguan is located in Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve (97°31′-97°46′E, 23°54′-24°51′N), southwest Yunnan, China. The reserve spans Yingjiang, Longchuan and Ruili counties(cities) of Dehong Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, bordering Myanmar. It has a tropical monsoon climate influenced by the Indian Ocean warm current, with distinct dry-wet seasons, abundant heat and plentiful rainfall. The annual mean temperature is 19.47 ℃, annual precipitation ranges from 1402.2-1664.7 mm, and precipitation from May to October accounts for 89% of the total annual rainfall.

Vegetation and Flora

Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve hosts typical tropical seasonal rain forest dominated by Dipterocarpus retusus, Vatica xishuangbannaensis and Shorea assamica, together with tropical low-montane evergreen broad-leaved forest and monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest.

There are 5006 vascular plant species recorded in the reserve. Among them, 9 species are classified as China’s first-class protected plants, and 137 species belong to the second-class protected plants.

Fauna

A total of 725 animal species have been recorded in the nature reserve. Fifteen vertebrate species belong to the first-class protected animals of China, including Hoolock tianxing, Viverra zibetha, Neofelis nebulosa and Polyplectron bicalcaratum. Seventy-four species are China’s second-class protected animals.

Research sites of BEST network

In 2024, 18 plots (SL79-SL96, 50 m × 50 m each) were newly established in Nabang area of Dehong. These plots cover Dipterocarpus retusus forest, Vatica xishuangbannaensis forest, Shorea yunnanensis forest, tropical low-montane evergreen broad-leaved forest and monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest.

Principal Investigator

Zhiming Zhang (张志明) from Yunnan University: zhiming_zhang76@hotmail.com

Research Team:

Zhiming Zhang（张志明，Yunnan University）
Lin Cao（曹林，Yunnan University）
Min Deng（邓敏，Yunnan University）
Xiaoli Cheng（程晓莉，Yunnan University）
Zhiqiang Zhang（张志强，Yunnan University）
Jianli Zhao（赵建立，Yunnan University）
Xiaokun Ou（欧晓昆，Yunnan University）
Lide Tian（田立德，Yunnan University）
Zhe Chen（陈哲，Yunnan University）
Wenli Wang（王文礼，Yunnan University）
Wenjun Liu（刘文俊，Yunnan University）
Luxiang Lin（林露湘，Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences）
Zexin Fan（范泽鑫，Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences）
Qinghai Song（宋清海，Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences）
Ge Sang（格桑，Ecological Research Institute, Yunnan Baimaxueshan National Nature Reserve）

Selected Publications

BAI J K, STURCHIO M A, LUO Y Q, et al. Species turnover and climates co-dominate the carbon–water relationship in grasslands along an elevational gradient[J]. Functional Ecology, 2025, 39(8): 2123-2134.
CHEN Q, LONG C Y, CHANG K K, et al. Various seasonal patterns and potential mechanisms of soil nitrogen transformation along an elevational gradient in the Hengduan Mountains[J]. Functional Ecology, 2023, 37(7): 1962-1973.
FEYISSA A, CHEN R, CHENG X L. Afforestation inhibited soil microbial activities along the riparian zone of the upper Yangtze River of China[J]. Forest Ecology and Management, 2023, 538: 120998.
LI J S, WU B Y, ZHANG D D, et al. Elevational variation in soil phosphorus pools and controlling factors in alpine areas of Southwest China[J]. Geoderma, 2023, 431: 116361.
WU Y T, PEÑUELAS J, DENG M F, et al. Elevational changes in vegetation and soil geochemistry drive thresholds in bulk soil carbon and its key fractions[J]. Journal of Ecology, 2025, 113(8): 1985-1996.

Site Support

This site has been supported by:

School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve