A representative sample of vegetation plots from a systematic sampling was analyzed in Longhushan, southwest China. The sampling combined measurements of species number, with extensive information on geological, environmental, and soil factors, then analyzed (at p<0.05) to establish species response to the single or combined influence of environmental habitat factors. Both General and Generalized Linear Models predicted richness as a function of the combination of variables from the three groups (F=23.318, p<0.001 and Likelihood ratio X2=91.423, p<0.001, respectively). Richness increased with elevation, slope, moisture, and in dolomite dominated areas, but decreased with organic matter. Patterns of richness were thus related to complex relationships between rock type, water and nutrients availability in association with topography. The evidence of significant variations was provided after combining variables from the three groups, suggesting their interactions influence on plants, and no single context explained the different associations between species number and any group of factors
Keywords: Environmental habitat factors, Interrelationships, Karst ecosystem, Plant species richness, Spatial patterns
