Cryptocarya chinensis Spatial Distribution Patterns Caused by Human Disturbance in the Lower Subtropical Monsoon Evergreen broad-leaved Forest
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Abstract:
Lower subtropical monsoon evergreen broad leaved forests are of high conservation significance in Sooth China. Because of human activities, the forest has been largely destroyed; the remaining fragments are now mainly in several protected reserves. To further protect this forest outside the reserves and to study human influences on it, we analyzed the spatial pattern of Cryptocarya chinensis, a dominant tree in the forest near Changlong village, Guangzhou, China. Compared with low human disturbance forests, in which C. chinensis was clumped, we found that trees were randomly distributed, especially the young life stages. Human activities in this forest have also led to the decline of the C. chinensis seedling bank, suggesting that the population is regenerating badly.Keywords:
Evergreen forest
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Liana
Secondary forest
Old-growth forest
Fragmentation
Temperate rainforest
Cloud forest
Microclimate
Forest fragmentation
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Population structure and spatial pattern are important characteristics of plant community which can reveal ecological characteristics of a species.In this study,we established a 1hm2 plot in subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest in the Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve,China.All trees with a diameter at breast height of at least 1cm were mapped and identified.Point pattern analysis was applied to analyze the tree spatial distribution patterns and spatial associations of the dominant species at different growth stages(i.e.seedling,young,middle and mature trees stage).The three dominant species are Cyclobalanopsis gracilis,Cryptomeria fortunei and Lithocarpus brevicaudatus.Results show that the three dominant species show a random distribution pattern at different environmental heterogeneity.However,Lithocarpus brevicaudatus under middle stage appeares an aggregate distribution pattern at 2~10mscale due to high rate of tillers.In addition,three dominant species have no interspecific association in different growth stages at 1~25mscale.The saplings and seedlings show positive correlation,and the middle and mature trees of Cyclobalanopsis gracilis have potentially negative correlation at 1~3mscale.Moreover,young and mature trees of Cryptomeria fortunei have a potential positive correlation.Three dominant species have not been clearly influenced by the density dependence effect in the process of growth.
Point pattern analysis
Cryptomeria
Castanopsis
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Stand structure such as species composition and canopy gap formation in a fragmented evergreen broad-leaved forest and changing patterns of a matrix surrounding the forest over the past 42 years based on vegetation maps made from aerial photos were examined. The suburban landscape had changed significantly. Some forest-type elements such as scrub and secondary deciduous broad-leaved forests had decreased in area, although plantations, Phyllostachys forests and secondary evergreen broad-leaved forests had increased in area. The area of the fragmented forest, which was well-developed secondary evergreen broad-leaved forest at a shrine, had not significantly changed. Some species such as Distylium racemosum, Persea thunbergii, Camellia japonica and Eurya japonica regenerated in the forest the same way as in old-growth evergreen broad-leaved forests, suggesting that population structure and dynamics of those species were not greatly influenced by landscape ecological factors or secondary succession of the forest. Regeneration behaviour of some species such as Neolitsea sericea and Quercus salicina in the forest differed significantly from that in the old-growth forests. Furthermore, the density of N. sericea seedlings was extremely high, although only a few mature individuals and saplings of the species occurred in the forest. Population structure of the species might be influenced by changing patterns of the matrix surrounding the fragmented forest.
Secondary forest
Old-growth forest
Evergreen forest
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Understory
Secondary forest
Old-growth forest
Dominance (genetics)
Stand development
Secondary succession
Thinning
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Understory
Dominance (genetics)
Secondary forest
Old-growth forest
Soil seed bank
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Spatial pattern of plant populations is the result of the interaction between the biological characteristics and environmental factors,and also is the important factor which decides community composition,structure and dynamic.After an investigation on nine 900m2 plots(three plots in restoration 15 year,restoration 30 year and old growth forest,respectively),a study on the spatial distribution pattern of Castanopsis hystrix,Castanopsis echidnocarpaand Schima wallichii population and their dynamics were made by the tests of discrete distribution pattern.The results showed that spatial distribution patterns of C.hystrix,C.echidnocarpaand S.wallichii population were all the clumped distribution in all three communities.We also found that spatial distribution patterns of C.hystrix,C.echidnocarpaand Schima wallichii population were all the clumped distribution in all sampling areas except for C.hystrixin 10m×10min primary forest and in 20m×20min restoration 15 years community and for S.wallichii in 10m×20minrestoration 30 years community.The results indicated clumped distribution was the basic attribute of spatial distribution of C.hystrix,C.echidnocarpaand S.wallichii population.
Hystrix
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Dominance (genetics)
Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis
Pinus roxburghii
Secondary forest
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Camellia
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Evergreen broad-leaved forest is one of the most important vegetation types in China. Because of the human activities, evergreen broad-leaved forest has been destroyed extensively, leading to degraded ecosystem. It is urgent to conserve and restore these natural forests in China.
In this paper, the tendency and rate of species diversity restoration of the evergreen broad-leaved forest in Darning Mountain has been studied. The main results are as follows: (a) in subtropical mid-mountain area, species diversity in degraded evergreen broad-leaved forest can be restored. Through analyzing b diversity index of communities in different time and space, it was found that the species composition of communities tend to be the same as that in the zonal evergreen broad-leaved forest. (b) The restoration rate of evergreen broad-leaved forest was very fast. Planting Chinese fir after clear-cutting and controlled burning of the forest 178 species appeared in a 600m^2, sample area after 20 years' natural recovering. Among these species, 58 were tree layer and the height of community reached 18m, The survey suggested that it would take only 20 years for the degraded forest to develop into community composed of light demanding broad-leaved pioneer trees and rain-tolerance broad-leaved trees, and it need another 40-80 years to reach the stage consisting of min-tolerance evergreen broad-leaved trees, (c) Species number increased quickly at the early stage (2-20 years) during vegetation recovering process toward the climax, and decreased at the min-stage (50-60 years), then maintained a relatively stable level at the late-stage (over 150 years).
Climax community
Climax
Evergreen forest
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