A test of the accuracy of shade-tolerance classifications based on physiognomic and reproductive traits

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1595-1598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig G. Lorimer
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Permanent Plot ◽  
Oak Forest ◽  
Tolerance Index ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Tolerance Indices

Traits such as live crown ratio and understory stem density are often used subjectively as a guide to grouping tree species into shade tolerance classes. The accuracy of this approach was tested on nine species in an upland oak forest by comparing a tolerance index based on measurements of live crown ratio and understory stem density with observed survival and growth rates of suppressed trees obtained from 19-year permanent plot records. A high correlation (r = 0.93) was found between predicted and observed tolerance indices. The observed tolerance of several species differs from traditional classifications but was correctly predicted by the tolerance index.

The structural characteristics and climatic and human impacts of deciduous oak forests in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoping Chen ◽  
Qiong Cai ◽  
Wenjing Fang ◽  
Yuhao Feng ◽  
Jiangling Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Oak Forests ◽  
Oak Forest ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Aims Deciduous oak forest is one of the typical vegetation types in temperate and subtropical mountain zones in China. However, the patterns and determinants of the structural characteristics of these forests remain poorly understood. Methods We investigated 682 oak forest plots across China to characterize the community structures of the oak forests and analyze the underlying factors controlling their spatial patterns. Important Findings Across all plots, the overall mean values were 13.7 cm, 10.0 m, 1468 stems/ha, and 24.3 m 2/ha for the diameter at breast height (DBH), height, stem density and total basal areas (TBA) of trees, respectively. The average species richness was 6 species/600 m 2, 10 species/100 m 2, and 4 species/1 m 2 for the tree, shrub and herb layers, respectively. As latitude increased, the mean tree height, stem density, TBA, tree species richness and shrub species richness decreased, and the mean DBH did not show a significant trend, while species richness of herbs increased significantly. Climatic and anthropogenic variables could explain more variations in mean DBH, mean tree height, TBA, tree species richness, shrub species richness than those in stem density and herb species richness. Further analysis showed that precipitation-related climatic factors were major factors shaping the spatial patterns of community structures. Our findings provide a basis for recognizing the biogeographic patterns of oak forest structures and their responses to global change in China.

scholarly journals Comparing shade tolerance measures of woody forest species

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiayi Feng ◽  
Kangning Zhao ◽  
Dong He ◽  
Suqin Fang ◽  
TienMing Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wood Species ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Niche Differentiation ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Large Dataset ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Tolerance Indices

Shade tolerance, the minimum light requirement for plant survival, is a key trait for understanding community assembly and forest dynamics. However, it is poorly defined for tree species to date. Current methods of measuring shade tolerance vary considerably in their performance. For instance, some measures of shade tolerance are unreliable except under some specific conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to compare the performance of these methods to provide guidance of choosing appropriate shade tolerance measures in future studies. We collected a large dataset of light traits and other life history traits for 137 understory wood species in a subtropical forest and tested the performance of five commonly used shade-tolerance indices. Results showed that all the shade-tolerance measures, except the low-light abundance index, performed poorly in distinguishing and ranking shade tolerance of the tested species. The shade tolerance quantified by the low-light abundance was consistent with empirical classification of shade-tolerance/intolerance groups and successional seral stages of species. Comparison of the shade tolerance between trees of different diameter at breast height (DBH) or height classes further confirmed the reliability of low-light abundance. We conclude that low-light abundance is the most objective and practical of the five most commonly-used methods for measuring and ranking shade tolerance of understory wood species in our study forest, and likely in other forests as well. The simplicity of the method should greatly facilitate the assessment of light niche differentiation between species and thus contribute to understanding coexistence of tree species in forests.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Some Tree Species to Absorb Air Pollutants in Three Industrial Locations of South Bengaluru, India

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (s1) ◽  
pp. S151-S156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abida Begum ◽  
S. Harikrishna
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Ascorbic Acid Content ◽  
Heavy Metal Concentration ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Tolerance Index ◽  
Industrial Areas ◽  
Pollution Tolerance ◽  
Tolerance Indices

With the fast growing and excessive increase in industrial projects in Bengaluru, the level of pollution is also increasing. Metal-accumulating woody species have been considered for phytoextraction of metal-contaminated sites. The study examined the air pollution tolerance indices (APTI) of plant species around three industrial areas of south Bengaluru. The physiological and biochemical parameters, which are relative to leaf's water content (RWC), ascorbic acid content (AA), total leaf chlorophyll (TCh) and leaf extract pH were used to compute the APTI values and three heavy metals were selected (cadmium, lead and zinc) for analysis. The result shows that the most tolerant tree species with respect to ATPI and heavy metal concentration wereFicus religiosa, Azadirachta indicaandPongamia pinnata (L.). These plants can be considered as tolerant species in the industrial areas. The APTI values for remaining species are reported lower and are considered as sensitive species. Further studies on air pollution tolerance index with respect to three industrial areas of south Bengaluru indicated that the air pollution was maximum in Jigani industrial area and minimum in Electronic city.

Growth and phenotypic plasticity of two tropical tree species under low light availability

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marúcia da Cunha Fagundes ◽  
Ândrea Carla Dalmolin ◽  
Luciana Santos Lobo ◽  
Ana Cristina Schilling ◽  
Martielly Santana dos Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Carbon Allocation ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Tropical Tree Species

Abstract Aims Screening tree species in tropical rainforest according to their shade tolerance is important to efficiently manage the native trees of economic significance in secondary forest enrichment regimes. The objective of this study was to determine the whole-plant light compensation point (WPLCP) and compare the phenotypic plasticity in relation to growth and carbon allocation of Cariniana legalis and Gallesia integrifolia seedlings under low light availability. Methods Seedlings were cultivated for 77 days under conditions of five photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) (0.02, 1.1, 2.3, 4.5 and 5.9 mol photons m -2 day -1) in three replicates. Growth and carbon allocation variables were determined. Important Findings Growth rates of C. legalis were higher and lower than those of G. integrifolia under 1.1 and 5.9 mol photons m -2 day -1, respectively. The WPLCP differed significantly between the two species. In accordance with the criteria of the shade tolerance classification for these two tropical tree species, our results showed that C. legalis had lower WPLCP and phenotypic plasticity in terms of higher growth rates and greater shade tolerance than G. integrifolia. From a practical point of view, we demonstrated that the differential linkage between growth and changing PAR between the two species can become a useful tool for comparing and selecting tree species in forest enrichment projects.

scholarly journals Tree Species Diversity, Composition and Aboveground Biomass Across Dry Forest Land-Cover Types in Coastal Ecuador

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 194008292199541
Author(s):  
Xavier Haro-Carrión ◽  
Bette Loiselle ◽  
Francis E. Putz
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Tree Species Diversity ◽  
Land Cover Types ◽  
Schizolobium Parahyba

Tropical dry forests (TDF) are highly threatened ecosystems that are often fragmented due to land-cover change. Using plot inventories, we analyzed tree species diversity, community composition and aboveground biomass patterns across mature (MF) and secondary forests of about 25 years since cattle ranching ceased (SF), 10–20-year-old plantations (PL), and pastures in a TDF landscape in Ecuador. Tree diversity was highest in MF followed by SF, pastures and PL, but many endemic and endangered species occurred in both MF and SF, which demonstrates the importance of SF for species conservation. Stem density was higher in PL, followed by SF, MF and pastures. Community composition differed between MF and SF due to the presence of different specialist species. Some SF specialists also occurred in pastures, and all species found in pastures were also recorded in SF indicating a resemblance between these two land-cover types even after 25 years of succession. Aboveground biomass was highest in MF, but SF and Tectona grandis PL exhibited similar numbers followed by Schizolobium parahyba PL, Ochroma pyramidale PL and pastures. These findings indicate that although species-poor, some PL equal or surpass SF in aboveground biomass, which highlights the critical importance of incorporating biodiversity, among other ecosystem services, to carbon sequestration initiatives. This research contributes to understanding biodiversity conservation across a mosaic of land-cover types in a TDF landscape.

Survival and growth of understory trees in oak forests of the Hudson Highlands, New York

1981 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 689-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig G. Lorimer
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Red Oak ◽  
Northern Red Oak ◽  
Average Growth Rate ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Red Oaks ◽  
Oak Trees ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Understory Trees

Mortality and growth rates of trees in various crown classes and size classes were analyzed from 40-year permanent plot records of slope and ravine forest dominated by chestnut oak (Quercusprinus L.) and northern red oak (Quercusrubra L.). Average 5-year mortality rates for suppressed trees ≥2.5 cm dbh of chestnut oak and red oak in the slope forest were 26 and 45%, respectively. None of the suppressed red oaks survived the 40-year period, compared with 14% of the chestnut oaks and 33% of the red maples (Acerrubrum L.). Mortality of oak trees in the intermediate crown class was less than half that of suppressed trees, but still much higher than that of maples and birches on the tracts. Survival was reasonably high for oaks as long as the top of the crown was receiving direct sunlight, but the expected 40-year survival rate of red oaks in such a position is only 20%, with an average growth rate of 1.0 mm in diameter per year. Curves and equations expressing average mortality and growth rates at various levels of competition are presented for each species.

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