Subcanopy gaps in temperate and tropical forests

Abstract We present a model of gaps in the vertical structure of forest vegetation. The traditional model of a forest gap assumes the existence of a ‘hole’ in the uppermost canopy layer, often extending down to near the ground. The present model extends the concept to gaps at any level, including those in lower layers below an intact canopy or subcanopy. It assumes that gaps at any level represent spaces with unused resources, especially favourable for plant growth and survival. Evidence from temperate and tropical forests indicates that gaps in the subcanopy and understorey layers below intact canopies are common, and that plants have higher growth rates in them than in non-gap sites. We also extend this model to below-ground gaps in the root zone.     

林窗内光照强度的测量方法

林窗内光强存在复杂的时空变化,对植物更新和生长有着重要影响,因此,林窗光照强度的快速测量方法是生态学家十分关注的问题.目前,测量林窗光强的方法可分为3类:(1)直接测量法采用光量子探头等仪器直接测量光强,但测量林窗光强异质性时十分费时费力.(2)模型估测法通过几何计算可快速估测林窗任意位置光强,但模型估测法将林窗简化为圆柱体或椭圆柱体,并忽略了许多林窗光强的影响因素,这极大影响了它的测量精度.(3)相片法采用半球面影像等相片间接计算相片拍摄点的光强,但测量林窗光强异质性时需要在林窗内拍摄大量相片;相片法具有较高精度,可区分直射光和散射光,其中,基于半球面影像的林窗光指数(gap light index)精度最高,使用广泛;基于几何计算的林窗光指数不仅具有较高精度,且可以快速测量林窗任意位置光强,该方法适用于林窗光强水平分布格局、垂直结构以及光组成成分(直射光和散射光)特征研究.     

云南亚高山云冷杉林林窗的研究

研究了云南碧塔海两块亚高山云冷杉（Ｐｉｃｅａ－Ａｂｉｅｓ）林内中小尺度林窗的干扰体系,结果表明：林窗和扩展林窗分别占林地面积的１９％和４１％,平均面积为４４ｍ２和１３９ｍ２,林窗的形成频率为０．００５～０．００７／ｙ。估计平均林窗周期为１６７年。大多数林窗（占８７％）的制造林窗树木（ｇａｐ－ｍａｋｅｒ,简记为ＧＭ）为１个以上,平均每个林窗的ＧＭ为２．９个,同一林窗内的ＧＭ常常死于不同的时间。在所有调查的ＧＭ中,折断占６０％,而根拔和直立死亡分别为２８％和１２％     

Phylogenetic isolation of host trees affects assembly of local Heteroptera communities

A host may be physically isolated in space and then may correspond to a geographical island, but it may also be separated from its local neighbours by hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary history, and may form in this case an evolutionarily distinct island. We test how this affects the assembly processes of the host''s colonizers, this question being until now only invoked at the scale of physically distinct islands or patches. We studied the assembly of true bugs in crowns of oaks surrounded by phylogenetically more or less closely related trees. Despite the short distances (less than 150 m) between phylogenetically isolated and non-isolated trees, we found major differences between their Heteroptera faunas. We show that phylogenetically isolated trees support smaller numbers and fewer species of Heteroptera, an increasing proportion of phytophages and a decreasing proportion of omnivores, and proportionally more non-host-specialists. These differences were not due to changes in the nutritional quality of the trees, i.e. species sorting, which we accounted for. Comparison with predictions from meta-community theories suggests that the assembly of local Heteroptera communities may be strongly driven by independent metapopulation processes at the level of the individual species. We conclude that the assembly of communities on hosts separated from their neighbours by long periods of evolutionary history is qualitatively and quantitatively different from that on hosts established surrounded by closely related trees. Potentially, the biotic selection pressure on a host might thus change with the evolutionary proximity of the surrounding hosts.     

Legacy effects of canopy gaps on liana abundance 25 years later in a seasonal tropical evergreen forest in northeastern Thailand

Lianas require host trees to reach and stay in the forest canopy, but as seedlings and juveniles, they benefit from canopy gaps created by treefalls. Here, we evaluated the relative importance of these two aspects, that is, the availability of potential hosts vs. the legacy effect of past treefall gaps, on the local abundance of liana stems in a seasonal tropical evergreen forest in the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve in northeastern Thailand. Within a 2.5-ha plot for forest dynamics monitoring, canopy height was measured in 1993 and 2018 at 5-m intervals to distinguish areas of mature (canopy height ≥ 20 m), building (10–20 m), and gap phases (< 10 m). In 2017–2018, we surveyed all liana stems ≥ 1 cm in diameter at breast height within 50 subplots (10 m × 10 m each) and recorded their diameter and the diameter of the host tree. Of a total of 445 liana individuals, 242 could be identified at least to the family level, while the others had clear morphological traits of climbing mechanisms. The number of liana stems was higher in areas that had been at the building/gap phase than those at the mature phase in 1993. When this 25-year-old legacy of past gap locations was considered, there was a positive association of local abundance between lianas and trees in areas at the mature phase in 2018. In conclusion, liana abundance reflected a long-term legacy of past treefall gaps more than 25 years earlier in this seasonal evergreen forest.     

山西灵空山天然松栎混交林群落特征与冠层结构

以2011年建设的山西灵空山4 hm²天然松栎混交林森林动态监测样地为研究平台,以400个10 m×10 m样方为测量单元,于2016年进行群落特征研究,采用半球面影像法(DHP)分析冠层结构和林下光照特征.结果表明: 样地内共有乔木5558株,共计25种,分属于10科15属.冠层开阔度(CO)集中在15.0%～25.0%,叶面积指数(LAI)集中在1.5～2.5,林下光环境参数集中在10.0%～30.0%.建群种在样地内的分布对冠层结构和林下光环境影响显著;冠层结构对林下光环境所有参数的影响方向一致,其中采用叶面积指数评价冠层结构动态的效果更佳;冠层开阔度和叶面积指数对林下光环境产生相反的影响,且均对散射光入射率影响程度最大.温性松栎混交林的林冠层整体较为均匀,林下光分布较为集中,林分树种组成与冠层结构对林下光照影响显著.