scholarly journals Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingyu Zhang ◽  
Lingbo Dong ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Zhaogang Liu

Seedling and sapling spatial patterns are important in community regeneration, and understanding the natural regeneration mechanisms of tree species in relation to spatial patterns will help improve forest management and community restoration efficiency. Based on data from three fixed plots established in birch forests (BF), coniferous and broadleaved mixed forests (CBMF) and coniferous mixed forests (CMF) in the central Greater Khingan Mountains in Heilongjiang Province, China, in 2017, we used the univariate and bivariate O-ring functions of the point pattern analysis method to evaluate the spatial patterns and associations of the main tree species in these three forest types at different development stages and identified the community successional stages according to the interspecific associations between dominant tree species and other tree species. The results showed that Betula platyphylla and Larix gmelinii in BF exhibited identical spatial distribution patterns and had a tendency to transition from an aggregated to a random distribution from saplings to adult trees, whereas every tree type in CBMF generally showed a random distribution. Adult trees of the main tree species in CMF, i.e., L. gmelinii and Picea koraiensis, mainly showed a random distribution, but P. koraiensis at other size classes generally showed an aggregated distribution. The intraspecific associations of the main tree species in BF and CMF at different development stages were constrained by the spatial scale within a given scope, while those in CBMF at different development stages were not significantly constrained by spatial scale. The results also show that the density of the three forest types was affected by the distance between the individuals of the various tree classes and adult trees, with different levels of influence. We analyzed the interspecific associations between dominant tree species and other tree species and then assessed community succession progress and found that the BF and CMF exhibited medium-term community succession, while the CBMF was in the primary stage. Our results further show that the spatial distribution patterns of the tree species in the small-diameter classes were jointly affected by adjacent habitats and diffusional limitations and that scale dependence existed in the intraspecific and interspecific associations. The analysis of the natural regeneration of spatial distribution and interspecific associations represents an efficient way to explore the stability of forest communities and dynamic changes in interspecific relationships during succession. The study results thus provide a theoretical basis for developing rational forest management measures.

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 826-835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yili Guo ◽  
Junmeng Lu ◽  
Scott B. Franklin ◽  
Qinggang Wang ◽  
Yaozhan Xu ◽  
...  

Inferring the processes underlying the spatial distribution patterns of tree species is fundamental for understanding species coexistence. Here, we examined spatial distribution patterns of woody plants by using the univariate pair correlation function to quantify spatial patterns of species in a fullly mapped 25 ha subtropical plot in China. We analyzed the relationships between the species attributes and spatial distribution patterns of 137 tree species with at least one individual per hectare. The results showed that aggregated distributions were the dominant pattern for species in the Badagongshan subtropical forests, and that the percentage of significantly aggregated species decreased with increasing spatial scales. Rare species were more aggregated than intermediate and abundant species, but they were more easily influenced by habitat heterogeneity. Also, there was significantly negative relationship between species abundance and species aggregation intensity. The aggregation intensity showed negative relationships to species mean diameter at breast height (DBH) and maximum DBH, i.e., species became more regularly spaced as species stature increased. Species functional traits (e.g., growth form and phenological guild) also had obvious effects on the spatial patterns of species. However, spatial patterns of tree species were not related to the dispersal mode. Our results partially conformed to the prediction that species’ attributes influenced species’ spatial patterns following similar laws, even after controlling for the effects of habitat heterogeneity. Consequently, species attributes (species abundance, mean DBH, maximal DBH, growth form, phenological guild, etc.) and habitat heterogeneity may primarily contribute to spatial patterns and species coexistence in natural forests.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12327
Author(s):  
Weiwen Zhao ◽  
Wenjun Liang ◽  
Youzhi Han ◽  
Xi Wei

Larix principis-rupprechtii is an important and widely distributed species in the mountains of northern China. However, it has inefficient natural regeneration in many stands and difficulty recruiting seedlings and saplings. In this study, we selected six plots with improved naturally-regenerated L. principis-rupprechtii seedlings. A point pattern analysis (pair-correlation function) was applied to identify the spatial distribution pattern and correlation between adult trees and regenerated seedlings mapped through X/Y coordinates. Several possible influencing factors of L. principis-rupprechtii seedlings’ natural regeneration were also investigated. The results showed that the spatial distribution patterns of Larix principis-rupprechtii seedlings were concentrated 0–5 m around adult trees when considering the main univariate distribution type of regeneration. There was a positive correlation at a scale of 1.5–4 m between seedlings and adult trees according to bivariate analyses. When the scale was increased, these relationships were no longer significant. Generally, adult trees raised regenerated L. principis-rupprechtii seedlings at a scale of 1.5–4 m. Principal component analysis showed that the understory herb diversity and litter layer had a negative correlation with the number of regenerated seedlings. There was also a weak relationship between regenerated numbers and canopy density. This study demonstrated that the main factors promoting natural regeneration were litter thickness, herb diversity, and the distance between adult trees and regenerated seedlings. Additionally, these findings will provide a basis for the late-stage and practical management of natural regeneration in northern China’s mountain ranges.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Do Thi Ngoc Le ◽  
Nguyen Van Thinh ◽  
Nguyen The Dung ◽  
Ralph Mitlöhner

The effects of disturbance regimes on the spatial patterns of the five most abundant species were investigated in three sites in a tropical forest at Xuan Nha Nature Reserve, Vietnam. Three permanent one-ha plots were established in undisturbed forest (UDF), lightly disturbed forest (LDF), and highly disturbed forest (HDF). All trees ≥5 cm DBH were measured in twenty-five 20 m × 20 m subplots. A total of 57 tree species belonging to 26 families were identified in the three forest types. The UDF had the highest basal area (30 m2 ha−1), followed by the LDF (17 m2 ha−1) and the HDF (13.0 m2 ha−1). The UDF also had the highest tree density (751 individuals ha−1) while the HDF held the lowest (478 individuals ha−1). Across all species, there were 417 “juveniles,” 267 “subadults,” and 67 “adults” in the UDF, while 274 “juveniles,” 230 “subadults,” and 36 “adults” were recorded in the LDF. 238 “juveniles,” 227 “subadults,” and 13 “adults” were obtained in the HDF. The univariate and bivariate data with pair- and mark-correlation functions of intra- and interspecific interactions of the five most abundant species changed in the three forest types. Most species indicated clumping or regular distributions at small scale, but a high ratio of negative interspecific small-scale associations was recorded in both the LDF and HDF sites. These were, however, rare in the UDF.


1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Michel Forget ◽  
François Mercier ◽  
Frédérique Collinet

The spatial distribution of two rain forest tree species, Carapa procera (Meliaceae) and Vouacapoua americana (Caesalpiniaceae) was analysed within and between plots of different sizes (6.25 and 25 ha) at Paracou, French Guiana. The L(d) function was used to characterize spatial patterns, and the Lij(d) intertype to study independancy between young and adult trees. Although both species are known to be dispersed by caviomorph rodents within short distances (c. 10–20 m and up to 50 m) of parent tree crowns, the analysis of tree positions led to different spatial patterns between species depending on soil drainage characteristics. Overall, while V. americana showed a strongly aggregated spatial distribution, C. procera had a weaker propensity to depart from complete spatial randomness (CSR). A complex distribution, sometimes clustered in areas with hydromorphic soils (swamps and around streams) and sometimes very near CSR outside these areas characterized the C. procera population. When C. procera tree aggregation occurred, there was a slight attraction between juveniles and adults. The aggregation of V. americana trees was evidenced at different levels depending on the scale of investigation. Within small plots (6.25 ha), a first level of aggregation with short distance radii of c. 10–25 m giving small clusters, and a second level which is composed of small clusters aggregated at c. 40–50 m distance radius, were observed. A third level of aggregation was suggested by analysing the tree population at the larger scale (25 ha) whose boundaries outside the plot were not delimited. Aggregation of V. americana trees at all levels was enhanced by a strong attraction between juveniles and adults. These results were discussed in light of seed and seedling ecology, especially with regard to seedling and sapling gap-dependence and soil drainage, which likely affected the recruitment of juvenile trees, and henceforth final tree spatial pattern.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin K. Dyderski ◽  
Andrzej M. Jagodziński

Invasive tree species decrease ecosystem resilience with negative impacts on natural regeneration. The influence of alien tree species on ecosystems is unevenly recognized and does not always account for different habitat specificity. We assessed the impacts of the three most frequent invasive tree species in European forests: Prunus serotina Ehrh., Quercus rubra L., and Robinia pseudoacacia L. on natural regeneration diversity, species composition, and density. We hypothesized that invaded forest types, in comparison with non-invaded, will differ in terms of species composition, will have lower taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of natural regeneration, and will have lower densities of native tree species. We used a set of 189 study plots (200 m2) in a systematic design, established in various forest types in Wielkopolski National Park (West Poland). We analyzed impacts of forest type, accounting for soil C:N ratio, soil pH, and light availability on natural regeneration (woody species up to 0.5 m height) species composition, diversity, and density. We found an overlap of species composition among invaded and non-invaded forests and low impacts of invasive species on taxonomic diversity and functional richness. We found no impacts on phylogenetic diversity and other functional diversity components. In contrast, we found that the natural regeneration of forest-forming tree species reached lower densities in invaded than non-invaded forest types. However, sub-canopy and shrub species reached higher densities in invaded than non-invaded forest types. We confirmed that invasive tree species affect natural regeneration by decreasing the regeneration density of native tree species (in eight of nine tree species studied), species composition homogenization, and supporting natural regeneration of sub-canopy and shrub species. Therefore, the restoration of invaded forests requires eradication of invasive tree species to decrease propagule pressure and to stop decreases in the abundance of native tree species’ natural regeneration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 492-502
Author(s):  
Xiu-Juan ZHANG ◽  
Jun-Bang WANG ◽  
Chu WU ◽  
Kamil KUČA

Rainfall use efficiency (RUE) of subtropics evergreen coniferous forests and RUE spatial patterns in Chinese subtropical zone were estimated. RUE and ecosystem net primary productivity (NPP) spatial distribution, as well as the relationship between RUE and rainfall were particularly focused. RUE of subtropical evergreen coniferous forests and the spatial patterns were estimated based on the data collected from the related weather stations and peer-reviewed literatures. In our study, a gradually increasing tendency of NPP from northwestern to southeastern part of the subtropical zone is observed. No significant differences in RUE among these tree species are visible. RUE of the evergreen coniferous forests reduces as the rainfall increases. RUE reaches the peak when rainfall is less than 700 mm. However, the distribution of RUE is not evident. In linear regression, longitude, latitude, and PAR account for approximately 1.4% of the variability in RUE. These findings suggest that the RUE of evergreen coniferous forests in southern China has a functional convergence.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e46074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoyu Lan ◽  
Stephan Getzin ◽  
Thorsten Wiegand ◽  
Yuehua Hu ◽  
Guishui Xie ◽  
...  

1976 ◽  
Vol 108 (7) ◽  
pp. 767-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merle Shepard ◽  
G. R. Carner

AbstractA 3-year study of spatial distribution patterns of insect pests in soybean fields revealed that the Poisson series described the distribution of most species. These species were: green cloverworms, Plathypena scabra (Fabricius); velvetbean caterpillars, Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner; loopers Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), and Heliothis spp. The Poisson with zeros distribution was second in characterizing the spatial patterns of many of the species. Field counts of Mexican bean beetles, Epilachna varivestis Mulsant, fitted the Neyman’s type A and negative binomial distributions most often.


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Babweteera ◽  
Nick Brown

Abstract:The direct removal of adult trees by logging affects tree recruitment in tropical rain forests. However, secondary effects of logging, such as loss of vertebrate seed dispersers may also affect tree recruitment. We studied the recruitment and spatial distribution of five tree species namely Balanites wilsoniana, Celtis zenkeri, Chrysophyllum albidum, Cordia millenii and Ricinodendron heudelotii in Kibale, Budongo and Mabira Forests in Uganda. These forests have been subjected to varying degrees of disturbance leading to changes in their vertebrate seed dispersers. Vertebrate frugivores of the five tree species were identified. Three 1-ha plots were established around adult trees of the same five species in each forest and the distance from the juveniles to the nearest adult conspecific was measured to generate a recruitment curve. Frugivore visitation rates were high in the less disturbed Budongo and Kibale (2.2 and 1.6 individuals h−1 respectively) compared with the highly disturbed Mabira (0.9 individuals h−1). In the frugivore-impoverished forest, 70–90% of juveniles established beneath adult conspecifics, whereas in the less-disturbed forests juveniles were established up to 80 m from adult conspecifics. Shade-tolerant species capable of recruiting beneath adult conspecifics appeared to maintain their populations without dispersal. Consequently, disturbances leading to significant loss of vertebrates may alter tree recruitment and spatial distribution with consequences for long-term population viability of shade-intolerant tropical trees.


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