赤水河上游主要森林植被中苔藓物种多样性研究

对赤水河上游典型森林植被中苔藓植物多样性调查分析。(1)苔藓植物有15科19属28种(含变种、亚种);生活型有3种：交织型(64.29%)、矮丛集型(28.57%)和平铺型(7.14%)。(2)丰富度以竹叶林中最大(2.131),残存阔叶林中次之(0.687),针叶林中最小(-1.444)。(3)α多样性呈现一定的规律,竹叶林（3.170）＞残存阔叶林（3.000）＞人工植被地（2.807）＞灌木林（2.322）＞针叶林=谷顶区(1.585),α多样性的排序规律与丰富度基本保持一致,均出现在竹叶林中最大。(4)β多样性出现灌木林—残存阔叶林生境中最高（1.000）,竹叶林—残存阔叶林中次之（0.938）,灌木林—针叶林（0.857）中最小的变化差异趋势。分析得出了植被型、湿度和荫蔽度是制约着该地区苔藓植物多样性的主要生态因素。通过苔藓植物多样性的探究,为保护该流域生态环境和生物多样性提供参考价值。     

东灵山林区不同森林植被水源涵养功能评价

森林植被发挥着涵养水源的作用,主要表现在以下几个方面:对降水的截留与再分配;调节河川径流,调节林内小气候,减小林内地表蒸发,改善土壤结构,减少地表侵蚀等. 通过对几种林分各层拦蓄降水和保土功能指标定性评价的基础上,用综合评定法对不同林分水源涵养和保土功能进行综合评价,选择出综合功能最好的林分,以期为北京山区的生态环境建设、植被恢复与保护提供一定的依据。在测定东灵山4种森林植被林冠层、枯枝落叶层和土壤层蓄水和土壤保持功能指标的基础上,采用综合评定法对4种森林植被水源涵养和土壤保持功能进行了评价。结果表明:各植被类型的林冠层截留各不相同,在雨季(6-9 月份) 辽东栎林的截留率最大,华北落叶松的最小;枯落物最大持水深以辽东栎林的最大,油松的最小;土壤水文特性各异,0-80 cm 土层平均容重以落叶阔叶林的最小,华北落叶松的最大;稳渗速率以落叶阔叶林的最大,油松的最小,初渗速率以辽东栎林的最大,油松的最小。不同林分水源涵养和土壤保持综合能力由大到小顺序为落叶阔叶混交林、辽东栎林、华北落叶松林、油松林。常绿阔叶灌丛水源涵养和土壤保持综合能力评价值(0.1039) 比其它植被类型少3个数量级,说明其水源涵养和土壤保持功能明显优于其它植被类型。由此可见,树种组成丰富、林下灌草盖度高、枯落物储量多的落叶阔叶混交林水源涵养和土壤保持能力最强,优于单一的阔叶林,而油松林最差。     

Diversity of tropical forest landscape types in Hainan Island, China

A novel landscape classification system was proposed in this study based on landscape ecological theory and the differentiation in climate, topography, soil, vegetation and land use mode. Five basic units (zone, tract, province, region and type) and two assistant units (sub and group) were used in this system. The tropical forest landscape in Hainan Island was regarded as a landscape province, belonging to global tropical forest landscape zone, Asiatic (oriental) tropical forest landscape tract and Chinese tropical forest landscape subtract. Based on the grade system of region, sub-region, type-group and type, this landscape province (Hainan Island) is divided into 6 landscape regions (east moist forest landscape, west semi-arid forest landscape, central-south mountainous forest landscape, tropical evergreen needle-leaved forest landscape, tropical bamboo landscape and tropical plantation landscape), 11 tropical forest landscape sub-regions represented by tropical lowland valley rain forest landscape, 26 tropical forest landscape-type groups represented by tropical lowland valley Dipterocarpaceae forest landscape, and 54 forest landscape types (FLT) represented by lowland valley Vatica mangachapoi forest. Generally, this classification system represents the landscape diversity of the tropical forest in Hainan Island. Further studies are needed to better understand the landscape diversity of Hainan Island.     

Diversity of tropical forest landscape types in Hainan Island, China

A novel landscape classification system was proposed in this study based on landscape ecological theory and the differentiation in climate, topography, soil, vegetation and land use mode. Five basic units (zone, tract, province, region and type) and two assistant units (sub and group) were used in this system. The tropical forest landscape in Hainan Island was regarded as a landscape province, belonging to global tropical forest landscape zone, Asiatic (oriental) tropical forest landscape tract and Chinese tropical forest landscape subtract. Based on the grade system of region, sub-region, type-group and type, this landscape province (Hainan Island) is divided into 6 landscape regions (east moist forest landscape, west semi-arid forest landscape, central-south mountainous forest landscape, tropical evergreen needle-leaved forest landscape, tropical bamboo landscape and tropical plantation landscape), 11 tropical forest landscape sub-regions represented by tropical lowland valley rain forest landscape, 26 tropical forest landscape-type groups represented by tropical lowland valley Dipterocarpaceae forest landscape, and 54 forest landscape types (FLT) represented by lowland valley Vatica mangachapoi forest. Generally, this classification system represents the landscape diversity of the tropical forest in Hainan Island. Further studies are needed to better understand the landscape diversity of Hainan Island.     

A Tale of Two Forest Carbon Assessments in the Eastern United States: Forest Use Versus Cover as a Metric of Change

The dynamics of land-use practices (for example, forest versus settlements) is often a major driver of changes in terrestrial carbon (C). As the management and conservation of forest land uses are considered a means of reducing future atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, the monitoring of forest C stocks and stock change by categories of land-use change (for example, croplands converted to forest) is often a requirement of C monitoring protocols such as those espoused by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (that is, Good Practice Guidance and Guidelines). The identification of land use is often along a spectrum ranging from direct observation (for example, interpretation of owner intent via field visits) to interpretation of remotely sensed imagery (for example, land cover mapping) or some combination thereof. Given the potential for substantial differences across this spectrum of monitoring techniques, a region-wide, repeated forest inventory across the eastern U.S. was used to evaluate relationships between forest land-use change (derived from a forest inventory) and forest cover change (derived from Landsat modeling) in the context of forest C monitoring strategies. It was found that the correlation between forest land-use change and cover change was minimal (<0.08), with an increase in forest land use but a net decrease in forest cover being the most frequent observation. Cover assessments may be more sensitive to active forest management and/or conversion activities that can lead to confounded conclusions regarding the forest C sink (for example, decreasing forest cover but increasing C stocks in industrial timberlands). In contrast, the categorical nature of direct land-use field observations reduces their sensitivity to forest management activities (for example, clearcutting versus thinning) and recent disturbance events (for example, floods or wildfire) that may obscure interpretation of C dynamics over short time steps. While using direct land-use observations or cover mapping in forest C assessments, they should not be considered interchangeable as both approaches possess idiosyncratic qualities that should be considered when developing conclusions regarding forest C attributes and dynamics across large scales.     

中国热带森林植被类型研究历史和划分探讨

热带森林是我国森林植被的重要组成部分,明确其森林植被类型分类对于生物多样性维持机制研究和保护管理等都具有重要意义。该文以中国热带森林植被分类研究中存在的问题为出发点,通过阐述我国各省区植被类型分类的研究历史,在综合考虑多种生物和非生物影响因素的基础上,提出一个新的热带森林植被类型分类框架以供探讨。结果表明:(1)尽管针对我国热带森林的分布范围和群落特征等都已开展了诸多研究,但对我国热带森林植被类型的划分依据和分类体系仍存在争议。(2)尽管我国的热带森林都处于季风气候区带内,但许多热带地区的森林植被类型并不只是受季风影响,而是气候带、关键气候因子、地形、土壤反馈和物种适应等多种因素共同作用的结果。(3)我国的热带森林植被包括5个植被型,即非典型性热带雨林、热带季雨林、热带山地雨林、热带山顶苔藓矮林(热带云雾林)和热带针叶林,其中热带季雨林植被型包含4种植被亚型[热带落叶季雨林、热带半落叶(半常绿)季雨林、热带常绿季雨林和热带石灰岩(石山)季雨林]。(4)阐明了上述热带森林植被型和植被亚型在我国各省区的分布情况,并提出未来有必要对人工恢复后的热带森林进行评估和植被类型划分。综上所述,该文提出一个新的热带森林植被类型分类框架,以期为今后基于不同地区开展热带森林比较研究提供参考。     

不同群落冠层环境下紫耳箭竹笋期生长发育研究

对金佛山国家级自然保护区内3个不同类型群落(落叶阔叶林、常绿落叶阔叶混交林、常绿阔叶林)下紫耳箭竹(Fargesia decurvata J. L. Lu)幼笋的生长发育进行研究。结果显示:(1)落叶阔叶林和常绿落叶阔叶混交林下的紫耳箭竹出笋期早而长,历时110 d,出笋量大,出笋率高;常绿阔叶林下的出笋期晚而短,历时88 d,出笋量少,出笋率低;常绿落叶阔叶混交林中出笋量最大。(2)出笋期分为3个阶段:初期、盛期和末期,各群落中的紫耳箭竹进入每个时期的时间有所差异,常绿落叶阔叶混交林中最早进入出笋盛期,落叶阔叶林次之,常绿阔叶林最迟。出笋盛期也是退笋的高峰期,退笋率的大小为:常绿落叶阔叶混交林落叶阔叶林常绿阔叶林。(3)同一群落冠层环境下,紫耳箭竹不同时期出土的幼笋地径无显著差异。在落叶阔叶林和常绿落叶阔叶混交林林冠环境中,各时期出土的幼笋地径间无显著差异,但均显著大于常绿阔叶林(P 0.05)。(4)紫耳箭竹幼笋出土后80 d左右完成高生长过程,且符合Logistic方程,呈"慢-快-慢"的生长趋势。高生长速率为:常绿落叶阔叶混交林落叶阔叶林常绿阔叶林,且差异显著(P 0.05)。(5)紫耳箭竹的克隆繁殖与分株密度间有密切关系。随着分株密度的增加,出笋数量增加,成竹数量降低。本研究表明不同群落冠层环境下紫耳箭竹生长发育存在显著差异,在常绿落叶阔叶混交林中发育最好,常绿阔叶林中发育最差,种群密度对竹类的更新发展起重要调节作用。     

凉水原始阔叶红松林与白桦次生林植物多样性的比较研究

采用典型抽样法和生态群落学调查法对黑龙江凉水国家级自然保护区紫椴（Tilia amurensis）红松（Pinus koraiensis）林、蒙古栎（Quercus mongolica）红松林及白桦（Betula platyphylla）次生林的植物群落结构特征和物种多样性进行了研究。结果表明,紫椴红松林有维管束植物31种,隶属21科,25属;蒙古栎红松林有维管束植物32种,隶属25科,28属;白桦次生林有维管束植物31种,隶属20科,28属。白桦次生林乔木层和草本层的物种丰富度S指数显著高于2种阔叶红松林,而其灌木层的物种丰富度S指数最低;3种林型乔木层的Simpson物种多样性指数无显著差异,紫椴红松林的灌木层Simpson指数显著高于其他2种林型,3种林型草本层之间的Simpson指数差异显著;紫椴红松林乔木层的Shannon-Wiener物种多样性指数显著低于其他2种林型,白桦次生林灌木层的Shannon-Wiener指数显著低于2种阔叶红松林,蒙古栎红松林草本层的Shannon-Wiener指数最高;此外,蒙古栎红松林乔木层的Pielou均匀度指数显著高于其他林型,而3种林型灌木层的Pielou指数无显著差异,紫椴红松林草本层的Pielou指数最低。     

复层林对闽楠幼树生长、叶片形态和光合特性的影响

以杉木(Cunninghamia lanceolata(Lamb.) Hook.)、闽楠(Phoebe bournei(Hemsl.) Yang)异龄复层混交林(简称杉楠复层林)和檫木(Sassafras tzumu(Hemsl.) Hemsl.)、闽楠异龄复层混交林(简称檫楠复层林)中的7年生闽楠幼树为研究对象,以纯林中的7年生闽楠幼树为对照,研究3种林分中闽楠幼树的生长量、叶片表型、叶片显微结构、光合色素含量、光合参数日变化和光合-光响应曲线的变化规律,分析复层林和纯林中闽楠幼树生长、叶片形态和光合特性的差异。结果显示：(1)与闽楠纯林相比,杉楠复层林中闽楠幼树的胸径增量和树高增量分别高46.61%和43.87%;檫楠复层林中闽楠幼树的胸径增量和树高增量分别低20.75%和26.53%;(2)与闽楠纯林相比,两种复层林中闽楠幼树的叶片鲜重和含水率减小,叶片变薄变“细长”,同时其中脉厚度、上表皮厚度、下表皮厚度、栅栏组织厚度和海绵组织厚度显著降低;(3)两种复层林中闽楠幼树的叶绿素a、b、总叶绿素和类胡萝卜素含量显著高于纯林中的闽楠;(4)纯林和杉楠复层林中闽楠幼树的净光合速率除上午...     

Effects of Selective Vegetation Thinning on Seed Removal in Secondary Forest Succession1

Seed removal was assessed for two tree species in three forest types: (1) secondary forest with and (2) without selective vegetation thinning, and (3) mature forest. Selective vegetation thinning meant the removal of all stems ≤3 cm in diameter of secondary‐forest species and was intended as a management technique to accelerate succession toward mature forest. Thinning did not have an effect on seed removal. One of the species showed lower seed removal in mature forest compared to secondary forest.     

基于空间结构指数的不同森林群落稳定性研究

以长白山杨桦次生林、云冷杉针阔混交林、云冷杉近原始林为研究对象,基于微观经济学中的柯布—道格拉斯生产函数相关理论,以3个常用的空间结构指标(混交度、大小比数、角尺度)为"投入",林分整体空间结构为"产出",构建林分空间结构生产函数,定义了林分空间结构指数(FSSI)并计算了林分空间结构距离(FSSD)。利用这5个指标分析比较不同演替阶段森林群落的空间结构特点,从而评价各演替阶段的稳定性。结果表明:不同演替阶段森林群落的混交度值均不相同,云冷杉近原始林平均混交度最大,云冷杉针阔混交林次之,杨桦次生林最小;大小比数对不同森林群落空间结构影响较小,其值基本为0.49~0.52;3种森林群落水平分布状态为云冷杉针阔混交林和云冷杉近原始林随机分布,杨桦次生林聚集分布;其空间结构指数大小及与理想结构接近程度排序为:云冷杉近原始林云冷杉针阔混交林杨桦次生林。因此,云冷杉近原始林空间结构较好,稳定性最佳。     

Estimation of forest area and its dynamics in Russia based on synthesis of remote sensing products

We review up-to-date, open access remote sensing (RS) products related to forest. We created a hybrid forest/non-forest map using geographically weighted regression (GWR) based on a number of recent RS products and crowdsourcing. The hybrid map has spatial resolution of 230 m and shows the extent of forest in Russia in 2010. We estimate area of Russian forest as 711 million ha (in accordance with Russian national forest definition). Compared to official data of the State Forest Register (SFR), RS estimates the area of forest to be considerably larger in European part (+12.2 million ha or +8%) and smaller in Asian (–39.8 million ha or–7%) part of Russia. We report the changing forest area in 2001–2010 and discuss main drivers: wildfire and encroachment of abandoned arable land. The methodology used here can by applied for monitoring of forest cover and enhancing the forest accounting system in Russia.     

三种干扰方式对西双版纳热带森林群落植物多样性的影响

研究了西双版纳热带森林的 3种人为干扰破坏 (择伐、皆伐和轮歇 )后形成的次生群落在物种和群落水平上植物多样性各个方面的变化规律 ,研究结果表明 :( 1 )择伐群落和皆伐群落乔木层物种数、Simpson指数、Shannon-Wiener指数在科、属、种 3个水平上无显著差异 ,但较轮歇群落物种更为丰富 ,多样指数更高。( 2 )轮歇群落林下灌草层的物种数在科、属、种 3个水平上高于择伐群落和皆伐群落 ,但 Simpson指数和Shannon-Wiener指数则分别在各个水平上低于择伐群落和皆伐群落。 ( 3)轮歇群落先锋种类占较大比重 ,达76 % ,其它二类群落比例约为 5 0 %。( 4 )择伐和皆伐群落乔木层都由几种植物形成共同优势 ,轮歇群落则形成单优群落。 ( 5 )在生活型构成上 ,皆伐群落乔木树种种类相对较多 ,轮歇群落藤本植物较多 ,草本植物种类较为丰富 ,尤其一年生草本植物种类远多于其它群落类型     

The Landscape Ecology of Tropical Secondary Forest in Montane Costa Rica

Multinomial logistic models of land use/land cover in montane Costa Rica and landscape pattern analysis showed that relative to agriculture, secondary forest occurred closer to old-growth forest, further from roads, in forest reserves, and at higher elevations. Collinearity between explanatory variables yielded simple multivariate models; proportion of surrounding old growth predicted secondary forest most accurately. An old-growth matrix [mean patch size (MPS) 24.5 ha], located mainly within protected areas, dominated elevations greater than 2500 m. A matrix of agriculture (MPS 23.5 ha), with smaller patches (approximately 9 ha) of secondary forest and old growth, dominated elevations from 1500 to 2500 m. Combining secondary forest with old growth decreased forest patch number and increased MPS from 7.3 to 37.1 ha. I concluded that: (a) secondary forest pattern is nonrandom, so ancillary data will aid its mapping with satellite imagery. The variables elevation, agriculture distance, road distance, and population density distinguished secondary forest from old growth with 74% accuracy; (b) socioeconomic and biological forces probably interact to create these secondary forest patterns; and (c) the strong association between secondary forest and old growth supports the concept that tropical forest recovery depends on the landscape structure of remnant forest. Received 16 February 1999; accepted 20 August 1999.     

广州市十种森林生态系统的碳循环

为了探讨南亚热带森林生态系统碳循环的规律,在广泛收集资料和试验数据的基础上,对广州10种森林生态系统的碳循环进行研究.结果表明：10种森林生态系统的碳密度在108.35～151.85 t C·hm^-2,其中乔木层碳密度在10.85～48.86 t C·hm^-2,0～60 cm土壤层在87.74～99.01 t C·hm^-2,均低于全国平均水平;从大气流向植被层的碳流量为4.41～9.15 t C·hm^-2·a^-1,植被层流向土壤层的碳流量为0.74～2.06 t C·hm^-2·a^-1,土壤层流向大气层的碳流量为3.94～5.42 t C·hm^-2·a^-1,即系统从大气净吸收碳在0.47～4.97 t C·hm^-2·a^-1之间.各种林分的净系统生产力不同,阔叶林大于针叶林,混交林大于纯林,天然次生林大于人工林.     

Community structure of land flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Terricola): comparisons between Araucaria and Atlantic forest in Southern Brazil

Abstract. Land flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Terricola) are sensitive to environmental changes and might be used as biological indicators of the degree of disturbance of their habitats. Nevertheless, studies on the structure of land flatworm communities are rare. In the present study, we investigated the terrestrial flatworm communities in two types of ombrophilous forest, Atlantic forest and Araucaria forest, aiming to answer the following questions: (1) Is the community structure of the two types of ombrophilous forest different? (2) Are there differences, regarding community structure, among distinct fragments of Araucaria forest? (3) Are there indicators of edge effects in these communities? The study site, the National Park of Aparados da Serra, is mainly covered, at high altitudes, by fragments of Araucaria forest immersed in a matrix of open areas (grasslands) and, in low altitudes, by a continuous Atlantic forest. We conducted monthly surveys in the two types of forest with three replications per forest type over a period of 2 years. Results indicated that: (1) community structure is clearly distinct between the two types of forest, as well as among fragments of the Araucaria forest; (2) there are no apparent edge effects; (3) the diversity indices of the two types of ombrophilous forest are not significantly different (Atlantic forest—H′=2.87, Araucaria forest—H′=2.55; p>0.05); and (4) there are significant differences in diversity indices between two fragments of Araucaria forest (H′=2.92 and 2.47; p<0.001). The following factors could affect community structure: type of vegetation, degree of human disturbance, and abiotic factors, such as pH and temperature.     

模拟氮沉降增加对南亚热带主要森林土壤动物的早期影响

对模拟氮沉降增加条件下3种南亚热地带代表性森林(季风常绿阔叶林、针阔混交林和马尾松纯林)内土壤动物群落的早期响应特征进行了比较研究.试验采用模拟的方法,人为构建了一个氮沉降增加梯度系列,即对照、低氮处理(50kg·hm^-2·yr^-1)、中氮处理(100kg·hm^-2·yr^-1)和高氮处理(150kg·hm^-2·yr^-1).结果表明,不同林分对氮沉降增加的响应不同;季风林与针叶林表现了两种截然相反的变化趋势,前者反映的是负向效应,土壤动物的3项指标均明显下降,而后者则反映出明显的正向效应,使得针叶林土壤动物的各项指标达到混交林,甚至季风林的水平;氮沉降增加对混交林则没有表现出明显的作用.不同氮沉降增加水平所产生的效应也不完全相同.在季风林内,参比对照,中氮处理往往表现出显著的负向效应(P＜0.05),而低氮处理反应不明显;在针叶林内,氮处理的正向效应随着处理的加强而持续上升,尤其是对于土壤动物类群数指标,这种持续性均达到了显著性水平(P＜0.05).可以认为,这些结果反映了森林生态系统对氮饱和的响应机制.     

林地土壤水源涵养多因素复合模拟研究——以苕溪流域为例

为了研究不同植被覆盖度、不同林相及不同林种林下土壤水源涵养的特性,以浙江省苕溪流域上游区为例,采用野外不同林种土壤持水能力定时定点实测取样、室内不同植被覆盖度(0,15%,30%,45%,60%,75%,90%)、不同林相(上层覆盖、下层覆盖、上下层覆盖)的物理模型人工模拟降雨试验方法,通过不同深度土壤水分含量测试、产汇流和入渗系数计算,探索了林地不同经营管理方式下土壤涵养水源的特性,结果表明:(1)地表入渗系数随植被覆盖度的增加而增大,随坡长增加入渗系数的增长比率增加,降雨过程中植被覆盖度对入渗系数的影响比坡长的影响大。(2)不同林相的模拟试验结果表明,地表入渗系数排序为上下层覆盖>上层覆盖>下层覆盖>裸地。随着产流历时增加,林下土层的蓄水量呈线型增加,与裸坡比较,累积蓄水量增加百分数为:上层覆盖为23%,下层覆盖为29%,上下层覆盖为37%。(3)通过监测不同林地不同深度土壤含水率的变化,并与裸地进行对比得出不同林地涵养水源能力的强弱。其蓄水能力排序分别为板栗林>茶园>竹林。研究结果为林地管理、林相培育和林下土壤持水能力的提高具有科学方法论上的支撑和生...     

An examination of scale of assessment,logging and ENSO-induced fires on butterfly diversity in Borneo

The impact of disturbance on species diversity may be related to the spatial scales over which it occurs. Here I assess the impact of logging and ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) -induced burning and forest isolation on the species richness (477 species out of more than 28,000 individuals) and community composition of butterflies and butterfly guilds using small (0.9 ha) plots nested within large (450 ha) landscapes. The landscapes were located in three habitat classes: (1) continuous, unburned forest; (2) unburned isolates surrounded by burned forest; and (3) burned forest. Plots with different logging histories were sampled within the two unburned habitat classes, allowing for independent assessment of the two disturbance factors (logging and burning). Disturbance within habitat classes (logging) had a very different impact on butterfly diversity than disturbance among habitat classes (due to ENSO-induced burning and isolation). Logging increased species richness, increased evenness, and lowered dominance. Among guilds based on larval food plants, the species richness of tree and herb specialists was higher in logged areas but their abundance was lower. Both generalist species richness and abundance was higher in logged areas. Among habitat classes, species richness was lower in burned forest and isolates than continuous forest but there was no overall difference in evenness or dominance. Among guilds, generalist species richness was significantly lower in burned forest and isolates than continuous forest. Generalist abundance was also very low in the isolates. There was no difference among disturbance classes in herb specialist species richness but abundance was significantly higher in the isolates and burned forest than in continuous forest. Tree specialist species richness was lower in burned forest than continuous forest but did not differ between continuous forest and isolates.The scale of assessment proved important in estimating the impact of disturbance on species richness. Within disturbance classes, the difference in species richness between primary and logged forest was more pronounced at the smaller spatial scale. Among disturbance classes, the difference in species richness between continuous forest and isolates or burned forest was more pronounced at the larger spatial scale. The lower levels of species richness in ENSO-affected areas and at the larger (landscape) spatial scale indicate that future severe ENSO events may prove one of the most serious threats to extant biodiversity.     

Three-dimensional dispersion of drosophilid flies in a cool temperate forest of northern Japan

Three-dimensional dispersion of drosophilid flies was studied within a secondary broad-leaved forest in relation to forest structure. The survey area included the forest margin and old canopy gaps and varied in the foliage height profile from place to place. Using multivariate analyses on the data of drosophilid dispersion, five microhabitats which were different from one another for drosophilids were recognized: (i) canopy layer; (ii) middle layer; (iii) floor layer of forest interior; (iv) upper layer of forest margin; and (v) herbaceous layer of forest margin and gap. The height of living space of canopy species was remarkably lowered at the forest margin. The forest edge was richer in both numbers of individuals and species than the forest interior from the overlap of the grassland and the forest canopy subcommunities and the addition of invaders from other habitats. However, no ‘edge’ species, which were mostly restricted to or spend most of their time in ecotones, were found. It is hypothesized that the above-ground forest structure consists fundamentally of three zones: (i) the canopy; (ii) the floor; and (iii) the edge. A significant positive correlation was found between the foliage height diversity and the degree of vertical habitat segregation among drosophilid species. The patchiness of vegetation structure influential to the three-dimensional dispersion in a forest drosophilid community was estimated to be on the scale of 110–450 m². This scale of subjective habitat patchiness or ‘ecological neighbourhood’ corresponds well with the most prevalent size of canopy gaps occurring in various forests.