Erratum to: Coarse root spatial distribution determined using a ground-penetrating radar technique in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, China

Erratum to:Science China Life Sciences,November 2013 Vol.56 No.11:1038–1046doi:10.1007/s11427-013-4560-7The legend of Figure 1 should be as follows:Figure 1 Distribution map of 15 subplots at three types of habitats(ridge,slope and valley)     

鼎湖山南亚热带常绿阔叶林20公顷样地幼苗的分布

为了解鼎湖山常绿阔叶林树木幼苗的组成、分布及高度结构,在鼎湖山20 ha动态监测样地(简称DHS)内布置了149个种子雨收集器,并在周围设置了幼苗小样方.2008年31月完成了幼苗调查,共调查到2,632株.采用多元线性回归方法分析了9个树种幼苗多度与6个变鼍之间的关系.这6个变量包括种子雨收集器10 m内DBH≥1 cm同种个体的个体数、胸高断面积之和,以及地形的凹凸度、坡度、坡向和海拔.结果表明影响幼苗多度的因素随树种不同而不同.其中3个树种的幼苗多度只与地形变量有关,4个树种幼陌多度同时受到地形和同种个体多度的影响,1个树种的幼苗多度只与同种个体有关,1个树种幼苗多度与所有变量的关系都不显著.除谷木(Memecylon ligustrifolium)外,10 m范围内同种个体的多度和胸高断面积的偏回归系数一旦显著皆为正值,即幼苗多度随同种个体数或同种胸高断面积增大而增大.本研究为扩散限制和生态位理论提供了间接的证据.     

亚热带常绿阔叶林林窗物种丰富度的影响因素

林窗是森林群落物种多样性维持中十分重要的结构,但其本身物种多样性的维持机制尚不清楚,可能与相邻群落的物种丰富度、林窗面积以及土壤和地形因子等有关。本文选取浙江天童20 ha森林动态监测样地内的84个冠林窗作为研究对象,分析了林窗内部以及不同距离邻域内的物种组成,选取包含大部分林窗内物种(≥75%),并且对林窗内物种丰富度影响最大的邻域作为相关邻域(林窗周围成熟植株通过种子传播影响林窗物种丰富度,把距离冠林窗边缘5 m范围内的区域作为种源效应邻域;由于距离林窗较近,物种组成与林窗形成时仍存活个体的物种组成相似,故把距离冠林窗边缘4 m范围内的区域作为距离效应邻域),然后计算种源效应邻域内成熟植株的物种丰富度、距离效应邻域内所有植株的物种丰富度、冠林窗的面积、地形因子(海拔、坡度、坡向、凸度)和土壤因子(p H值、全氮、全碳、全磷),最后对11个潜在的影响因素进行随机组合,构建广义线性回归模型,筛选最优模型(AICc最小)进行分析。结果显示:种源效应邻域内成熟植株的物种丰富度和冠林窗面积显著影响林窗内物种丰富度,其他因素并未对冠林窗内物种丰富度产生显著影响。上述结果说明,冠林窗面积的大小以及外部种源的丰富程度是决定冠林窗内物种丰富度的主要因素,其他因素可能只产生间接影响。     

百山祖常绿阔叶林木本植物的生境相关性分析

中性理论和生态位理论在解释热带雨林中物种共存机制上发挥了重要作用.本文通过Torus-translation榆测方法对百山祖常绿阔叶林5 ha样地中DBH≥1 cm、个体数大于5的89种木本植物与4个根据地形和物种组成划分的小生境进行了关联性分析.同时按植物的胸径径级大小将其分为幼树期、生长期、成熟期3个生长阶段,并分别分析了植物在这3个生长阶段与生境的关联性.结果表明:89个木本植物中,没有表现出显著的生境相关件的物种多是稀有种或是个体数较少的物种,而大部分的常见种表现出与生境的显著相关性;通过对每个物种不同生长阶段的生境相关性比较,发现多数物种的生境相关性会发生改变,其中只有麂角杜鹃(Rhododendron latoucheae)、褐叶青冈(Cyclobalanopsis stewardiana)和厚叶红淡比(Cleyera pachyphylla)在生长的3个生长阶段没有发生改变.这表明,生境异质性对亚热带常绿阔叶林中木本植物的生物多样性的维持起着重要作用,同时对不同生长时期的物种与生境相关性的分析结果表明,大部分物种与生境的相关性会随着生长阶段的变化而发生变化.     

Microtopography and distribution of canopy trees in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in the northern part of Okinawa Island,Japan

The spatial distribution of trees in relation to topography was investigated using two topographic indices, slope steepness and slope configuration, in a 4-ha plot in a subtropical evergreen forest in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Japan. Most species showed an aggregated distribution and patch size was related to various microtopographical features, including small ridges and valleys. In a cluster analysis based on the dissimilarity of each species distribution, the species were divided into three major clusters. A significant correlation between the dissimilarity and the distance between each species on the axis of the two topographic indices indicated that species association was, in part, explained by the topographic indices. I suggest that species distributed on steep and concave slopes regenerate depending on disturbances such as landslides on unstable topography, whereas species distributed on ridges and upper slopes regenerate depending on the canopy gap. A number of species that were less abundant in the 4-ha plot occurred in the riparian area near a stream, where the density of more abundant species was low. The results of this study support the existence of habitat niche divergence related to topography in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest.     

哀牢山常绿阔叶林树种多样性及空间分布格局

为了探究哀牢山中山湿性常绿阔叶林树种多样性特点及优势种群空间分布特征,2008年,中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园在哀牢山生态站附近的常绿阔叶林建立了一块6 ha的森林动态监测样地,逐一测量并记录了样地中所有胸径(DBH)≥1 cm的树木的胸径,并对其挂牌标记、鉴定和确定坐标位置.应用Ripley's L-Function分析了样地内4个上层优势种的空间分布格局.结果表明,样地内共有DBH≥>1 cm的乔木12,131株,隶属于25科49属68种.样地内硬壳柯(Lithocarpus hancei)的重要值最大,其胸高断面积也最大;其次为变色锥(Castanopsis wattii);排在第三位的为云南连蕊茶(Camellia forrestii),有1,712个个体,是样地内个体数量最多的树种.和同类型森林相比,哀牢山中山湿性常绿阔叶林是多优种类型,物种总数较少,稀有种所占比例也较小.样地内4个上层优势种的小径级个体数量较多,而大径级个体数量较少,而且在空间上呈现互补特征.对样地中符合条件的26个树种(生活史期间的树木株数≥40株)的空间格局进行分析,53个生长时期中有37个表现为集群分布,表明在树种多样性维持方面,密度制约机制町能不是主要因为,生境异质性可能起着重要作用.     

瓦屋山中亚热带湿性常绿阔叶林的林窗形成特征

调查了瓦屋山原生和次生的中亚热带性常绿阔叶林的林窗形成特征,并对林窗形成特征,林窗制造者的死亡方式和原因进行了探讨,结果表明,次生常绿阔叶林林窗面积均＜10m^2,1hm^2仅9个,林下更新不明显,原生林林窗密度为1hm^215个,＜40m^2的林窗占56％,＞100m^2的林窗只有4个,林窗平均面积59m^2,扩展林窗平均面积105m^2,林窗和扩展林窗总面积占被调查林分的比例分别为11．1％和19．8％,林窗大小分布表现出负指数分布,即小林窗多,大林窗少,林窗形状的变异较大,大多数因边界木的多少而成不规则的多边形,大多数林窗是多个林木死亡事件的结果,因而大多数林窗有两个或两个以上的林窗制造者,各林窗年龄大多数在10a以上,最近形成的林窗极少,估计林窗表成率是0.01.a^-1,采用样地投影调查方法可提高测定精度,便于不同调查林分结果的有效比较,常绿阔叶林林窗形成原因较为复杂,小径木的死亡是竞争被压所致,而大径的较高冠层木的死亡则可能是树木生长发育以及与地形,风等自然因子相互作用的结果。     

亚热带常绿阔叶林群落物种多度分布格局对取样尺度的响应

为揭示物种多度格局随尺度的变化规律,探讨多度格局形成的机理及生态学过程,作者以古田山亚热带常绿阔叶林24 ha固定监测样地为背景.采用断棍模型(broken stick model)、对数正态模型(Iognormal distribution model)、生态位优先占领模型(preemption model)、Zipf模型(Zipf model)、Zipf-Mandelbrot模型(Zipf-Mandelbrot model)及中性理论模型(neutral model),对不同尺度下的物种多度分布格局进行拟合,并采用AIC检验和卡方检验选择最优拟合模型.结果表明,不同尺度上适合的物种一多度曲线模型不同;在取样边长为10 m和20 m时,除中性模型外的5个模型均不能被拒绝,它们均适合小尺度下的格局,这表明存小的尺度上生态位过程对物种一多度曲线的格局贡献较大;在取样边长为40 m时,最适合的模型为对数正态模型;取样边长为60 m和80 m时,Zipf-Mandelbrot模型为最优拟合模型;在取样边长为100 m时,尽管Zipf-Mandelbrot模型有最小的AIC值,但卡方检验拒绝了除中性模型外的5个模型;中性理论模型除了边长为10 m和20 m尺度以外,在其他尺度上均比前面5种模型的预测效果更好.因此在研究物种多度分布规律时必须注意空间尺度的影响.研究结果表明随着尺度的增加,中性过程成为决定物种一多度曲线格局的主要生态过程.     

地形和土壤特性对亚热带常绿阔叶林内植物功能性状的影响

植物功能性状与环境之间的关系是功能性状研究的核心问题.为了探讨地形和土壤特性的差异对亚热带常绿阔叶林植物功能性状的影响,并找到影响古田山亚热带常绿阔叶林植物形态和生理性状的主要环境驱动因子,我们于2008年和2009年夏天在古田山国家级自然保护区内24 ha大型监测样地测定了147个样方中115种常见木本植物的功能性状.所测性状包括3个生理生态性状(叶绿素含量、叶绿素荧光参数Fv/Fm和PIABS和枝条比导率)和4个形态性状(气孔密度、叶厚度、比叶面积和叶长/宽比).结合地形数据(平均海拔、凹凸度、坡度和坡向)和土壤数据(含水量、全氮含量、全磷含量、全碳含量和pH值),分析影响这些功能性状的主要驱动因子.排序结果显示,叶绿素含量随海拔和凹凸度的上升而下降,但与土壤中的氮含量和水分含量旱现正相关关系.由于古田山土壤呈酸性,土壤磷素缺乏,叶绿素荧光参数Fv/Fm和PIABS与土壤氮、磷含量呈现显著的负相关.枝条比导率与土壤含水量具有较为显著的正相关关系.比叶面积与海拔呈现正相关关系.研究结果表明,在小尺度上,海拔和凹凸度是影响亚热带常绿阔叶林植物功能性状晟关键的两个地形因子,而土壤含水量和伞氮含量是影响该地植物功能性状最主要的土壤因子.然而,由于土壤中磷的缺乏,诸如植物光合作用等一些重要的生理过程受到影响,使得某些性状与环境因子之间呈现出不同寻常的相关关系.     

Altitudinal distribution of evergreen broad-leaved trees and their leaf-size pattern on a humid subtropical mountain,Mt. Emei,Sichuan, China

Altitudinal distribution of evergreen broad-leaved trees and changes in their leaf sizes were studied on a humid subtropical mountain, Mt. Emei (3099 m a.s.l., 29°34.5 N, 103°21.5 E), Sichuan, China. Among the total woody flora of ca. 540 species, evergreen broad-leaved trees account for 88 species in 39 genera and 23 families, corresponding to the northern limit of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved trees. The number of evergreen broad-leaved tree species greatly decreased from the low-altitudinal, evergreen broad-leaved forest zone (600–1500 m) to the mid-altitudinal, mixed forest zone (1500–2500 m), and to the high-altitudinal, coniferous forest zone (2500–3099 m). The overall trend of reduced leaf size toward upper zones was analyzed and documented in detail. The 88 species were assigned to three leaf-size classes: notophylls (48%), microphylls (36%), and mesophylls (16%). The leaf size was relatively small and the specific leaf weight (SLW, mg cm^–2) was much larger in high altitude as compared to low altitude. No overall correlation was found between leaf size and SLW, but leaf size decreased as SLW increased toward high altitude for certain species having relatively wide altitudinal ranges. Moreover, leaf size varied with forest stratification: canopy trees were predominantly notophyllous species, while subcanopy and understorey trees were mainly microphyllous species. The tendency is compatible with the trend found in other mountains of East Asia.     

Strong plant-soil associations in a heterogeneous subtropical broad-leaved forest

The relative importance of deterministic and neutral processes on community assembly is currently a topic of much debate among ecologists. Analyzing species-environment associations is an effective way to assess the importance of deterministic process such as niche differentiation, but both habitat association and dispersal limitation can produce similar patterns of spatial aggregation in species. Therefore, it is crucial to control for the impact of dispersal limitation on species distributions when analyzing species-environment associations. We sampled soil with high resolutions in a 24 ha stem-mapped subtropical forest and tested plant-soil associations. We controlled for the influence of dispersal limitation by employing the homogeneous Thomas process to simulate the effect of dispersal limitation on the aggregation of tree species. After controlling for the effect of dispersal limitation, we found that the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties was associated with distributions of 88.2% (90 of 102 species) of tree species in this subtropical forest. Furthermore, not only did soil properties influence the distribution of tree species, but also tree species tended to affect properties of the soil around them. The soil factors most strongly influencing species distributions were TC, TN, TP, K, Mg, Si, soil moisture, and bulk density. We found the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties to be strongly associated with tree species distributions. Niche partitioning of soil gradients contributed substantially to species coexistence in this subtropical forest.     

Study on canopy disturbance regime and mechanism of tree species diversity maintenance in the lower subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest,South China

ABSTRACT

The canopy disturbance, the gap environment, gap regeneration and maintenance of tree species diversity in the lower subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest (LSEBF) of South China were studied in this paper. The most common manner of gap formation in the forest was by stem breakage. Most gaps were formed by two gap makers. The sizes of most expanded gaps (EG) and canopy gaps (CG) were in the range of 100 – 300 m² and 50 – 100 m², respectively. The ecological factors in gaps were analysed on the basis of contrasting measurement of the microclimatic regimes in gaps of different sizes and in non-gap stands. Tree species in the LSEBF were classified into 5 ecological species groups on the bases of their changes in order of importance values in gaps and in non-gap stands. Most of the species reached their peak of regeneration density around the gap sizes of 100 m² and 500 m². The curves of regeneration density vs. gap age for major species revealed two types. Regeneration densities of most species, and species diversity indices in gaps were greater than those in non-gap stands.     

Controls over leaf litter decomposition in a mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest,Central China

Plant and Soil - Our understanding of the determinants of leaf litter decomposition is lacking for mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forests compared with tropical and temperate forests....     

Population structure and spatial patterns for trees in a temperate old-growth evergreen broad-leaved forest in Japan

The population structure and spatial pattern of major tree species in a warm-temperate old-growth evergreen broad-leaved forest in the Tatera Forest Reserve of Japan were investigated. All stems 5 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH) were mapped on a 4 ha plot and analyses were made of population structure and the spatial distribution and spatial association of stems in different vertical layers for nine species. This was done in the context of scale dependency. The plot was located on a very gentle slope and 17.1% of its canopy layer was in gaps. It contained 45 woody plant species and 4570 living stems with a basal area of 63.9 m² ha^–1. Castanopsis cuspidata var. sieboldii, the most dominant species for the basal area, had the maximum DBH among the species present, fewer smaller stems and a lower coefficient of statistical skewness of the DBH distribution. The second most dominant species, Dystilium racemosum, had the highest stem density (410 ha^–1), more abundant smaller stems and a relatively higher coefficient of skewness. Most stems in different vertical layers showed a weakly aggregated distribution with loose colonies as basic units. Gap dependency for the occurrence of stems under the canopy layer was weak. Maximum slope degree of the plot also weakly affected the occurrence of stems. Spatial associations varied among intra- and interspecific cohorts in the different layers and spatial scales examined, and positive associations among cohorts were found more frequently as the scales examined became larger. This tendency suggests that key factors forming observed spatial associations might vary with the spatial scales.     

Decline of soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification during forest conversion of evergreen broad-leaved forest to plantations in the subtropical area of Eastern China

We examined soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification rates, and soil and forest floor properties in one native forest: evergreen broad-leaved forest (EBLF), one secondary shrubs (SS), and three adjacent plantation forests: Chinese fir plantation (CFP), bamboo plantation (BP) and waxberry groves (WG) in Tiantong National Forest Park, Eastern China. All forests showed seasonal dynamics of N mineralization and nitrification rates. Soil N mineralization rate was highest in EBLF (1.6 ± 0.3 mg-N kg⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and lowest in CFP (0.4 ± 0.1 mg-N kg⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Soil nitrification rate was also highest in EBLF (0.6 ± 0.1 mg-N kg⁻¹ yr⁻¹), but lowest in SS (0.02 ± 0.01 mg-N kg⁻¹ yr⁻¹). During forest conversion of EBLF to SS, CFP, BP and WG, soil N mineralization rate (10.7%, 73%, 40.3% and 69.8%, respectively), soil nitrification rate (94.9%, 32.2%, 33.9% and 39%, respectively), and soil N concentration (50%, 65.4%, 78.9% and 51.9%, respectively) declined significantly. Annual soil N mineralization was positively correlated with total C and N concentrations of surface soil and total N concentration of forest floor, and negatively correlated with soil bulk density, soil pH and C:N ratio of forest floor across the five forests. Annual soil nitrification was positively correlated with total C concentration of surface soil and N concentration of forest floor, and negatively correlated with soil bulk density and forest floor mass. In contrast, annual soil nitrification was not correlated to pH value, total N concentration, C:N ratio of surface soil and total C concentration and C:N ratio of forest floor.     

亚热带常绿阔叶林种子性状对木本植物聚集格局的影响

种子的特征如种子的重量、大小和传播方式直接影响物种的扩散能力,从而影响物种空间分布的聚集强度。作者以古田山亚热带常绿阔叶林24 ha样地中89种木本植物为研究对象,分析了它们的种子大小、重量和扩散方式与物种聚集强度的关系。结果表明:在20 m范围内,样地内90%的物种为聚集分布,聚集强度随着尺度的增大而减弱,稀有种的聚集强度大于常见种。用系统发育独立比较(phylogenetically independent contrasts)方法排除了系统发育影响后,物种的多度与聚集强度呈显著相关(在15 m尺度,R2=0.32,P0.001);种子大小与物种聚集强度的相关性较弱(R2=0.05,P0.05),而种子重量与物种聚集强度之间的相关性相对较强(R2=0.14,P0.05)。种子的传播方式显著地影响物种的聚集强度:无助力扩散物种的聚集强度显著地高于有助力扩散物种的聚集强度(F1,87=4.439,P=0.038),即长距离扩散导致物种的聚集强度减弱。可见,在亚热带森林中,种子性状通过影响种子扩散进而引起物种聚集强度的变化,是影响物种空间分布格局的重要生态因素。     

Chloroplast diversity and population differentiation of Castanopsis fargesii (Fagaceae): a dominant tree species in evergreen broad-leaved forest of subtropical China

Subtropical forests in China constitute the major expanse of evergreen broad-leaved forest in East Asia. The significant genetic divergence of the keystone tree species should be expected due to the huge geomorphological and environmental changes from west to east in subtropical China. In this study, a total of 652 individuals from 27 populations of Castanopsis fargesii throughout its natural range in mainland China were genotyped with eight chloroplast microsatellite markers to investigate genetic diversity, population differentiation, and demographic history of C. fargesii. Phylogeographic structure among populations of C. fargesii was evidenced by the permutation test, revealing that N_ST was significantly higher than G_ST . The strong genetic differentiation found among populations was well in accordance with isolation-by-distance model. In addition, significant isolation by elevation was detected among populations. Significant genetic differentiations were revealed among the west, center, and east regions by approximate Bayesian computations (ABC). The genetic divergence might reflect the regional responses to the fast and dramatic uplift of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and Wuyi mountain range in the Pleistocene. In the present study, contraction-expansion process was detected in the west, center, and east regions, indicating that geomorphological remodeling together with climatic changes in the Pleistocene had strong impact on genetic structure of C. fargesii.     

Functional diversity versus species diversity: relationships with habitat heterogeneity at multiple scales in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest

Understanding the relationship between functional and species diversity as well as their association with habitat heterogeneity can help reveal the mechanisms of species coexistence in ecological communities. However, these interactions have been poorly studied in subtropical forests. In this paper, we evaluated functional diversity (as measured by Rao’s Q) and traditional species diversity (based on Simpson’s index) in a 24 ha forest plot in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest (EBLF) in China. We compared the sensitivities of functional and species diversity to topographic variables (elevation, convexity, slope and aspect) at multiple spatial scales based on 10 × 10, 20 × 20, 40 × 40 and 50 × 50 m quadrats. Functional and species diversity were found to have different distribution patterns along a topographical gradient, with functional diversity better explained by topography than was species diversity using a spatial autocorrelation regression error model. Furthermore, functional diversity had a significantly greater association with topographic variables than species diversity in both adult and young trees; in both cases, the strength of the diversity-habitat association increased with quadrat size. We conclude that functional diversity reflects a greater diversity-habitat association in EBLF than does species diversity, and that the association depends on the spatial scale and life stages of the woody plants under evaluation.     

Saplings distribution in relation to topography and canopy openness in an evergreen broad-leaved forest

We examined the spatial distribution of saplings in relation to topography and stand structure in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Japan. The distributions of most species were influenced mainly by topography but also by canopy openness. Species were arranged along a topographical gradient from concave areas with low canopy openness to convex areas with high canopy openness. Canopy species were arranged along a gradient from unstable fertile areas to stable infertile areas. Species occurring mostly in convex areas had a narrower distribution range than those in concave sites. Thus, habitat heterogeneity provided by topography and stand structure appears to be important factors for maintaining high species diversity in the understory of this subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest.