Chin J Plan Ecolo ›› 2015, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (7): 726-735.DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2015.0069

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Spatial analysis of competition in natural Phyllostachys edulis community

CHEN Yong-Gang1,2,*(), TANG Meng-Ping1,2, YANG Chun-Ju1,2, MA Tian-Wu1,2, WANG Li3   

  1. 1School of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, China
    2Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, China
    3School of Information Engineering, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, China
  • Online:2015-07-01 Published:2015-07-22
  • Contact: Yong-Gang CHEN
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    # Co-first authors

Abstract: Aims Spatial analysis of competition is an effective method to understand trend, variability and distribution patterns of plant communities. The objective of this study was to improve our understanding of autocorrelation distribution, the relationship between competition intensity and density and age of Phyllostachys edulis, and the relationship between competition intensity anisotropy and the aspect of sample plots. Methods Based on data collected from natural P. edulis forest plots located in Tianmu Mountain of Zhejiang Province, we calculated Hegyi competition index in Geographic Information System (GIS). ESDA (exploratory spatial data analysis) was used to analyze the spatial distribution of the Hegyi competition index to identify the spatial distribution. Spatial semivariogram and standard deviation ellipse were used to study regionalized spatial variability of variables. Important findings The results showed that the spatial densities and the competition intensity of natural P. edulis forest was autocorrelated: Phyllostachys edulis density was higher in area of high competition intensity. The age of P. edulis was also different between areas of different competition intensities: Phyllostachys edulis was younger in plots of low competition intensity than in plots of high competition intensity. The anisotropy of the competition intensity was higher in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction.

Key words: anisotropy, Hegyi index, spatial autocorrelation, semivariogram, standard deviation ellipse, Phyllostachys edulis