Initial establishment and regeneration processes of an outlying isolated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagus crenata</Emphasis> Blume forest stand in the northernmost boundary of its range in Hokkaido,northern Japan |
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Authors: | Kanji Namikawa Tetsuya Matsui Makoto Kobayashi Ryota Goto Shigeo Kuramoto |
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Institution: | (1) Biological Laboratory, Sapporo Campus, Hokkaido University of Education, 5-3-1 Ainosato, Kita-ku, Sapporo 002-8072, Japan;(2) Forest Ecology and Diversity Group, Hokkaido Research Centre, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 7 Hitsujigaoka, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8516, Japan;(3) Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, 10-5 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan |
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Abstract: | We investigated initial establishment and regeneration of an outlying isolated Fagus crenata forest stand at the northernmost boundary of its range in Hokkaido, northern Japan. The study site was located in the Sannosuke
beech forest (42°46′48″N, 140°23′43″E), a representative outlying beech stand beyond its continuous range. A rectangular 0.75 ha
plot was established on a southwest-facing slope and divided into 300 square sub-plots of 25 m2. Within each sub-plot, stems over 5 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH) were identified and measured. Furthermore, the
location of stems over 10 cm in DBH (canopy stem) was recorded within each sub-plot, and their increment core samples were
extracted. Wood from fallen logs was sampled to estimate the species composition of the coarse woody debris. Micro-relief
of the plot was investigated by leveling with compasses for a 2.5 m × 2.5 m grid system. In the plot, the population of F. crenata was divided into three sub-populations by their frequency distribution of age. The oldest sub-population, over 121 years
old, had been established in small-localized gap in the plot. The sub-population between 81 and 120 years old and the sub-population
less than 80 years old were regenerated after a landslide and windthrow in a 1954 typhoon, respectively. Furthermore, dominant
species in the plot shifted from Quercus
mongolica var. grosseserrata to F. crenata. Consequently, regeneration of F. crenata, i.e., expansion of forest stands, at the northernmost boundary of its range was primarily dependent on episodic natural
disturbance, which may be responsible for the reduction of their migration rate in Hokkaido, northern Japan. |
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