Plant community characteristics and its coupling relationships with soil in depressions between karst hills, North Guangxi, China

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1258.2013.00020

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Our objective was to study plant community characteristics and coupling relationships between plant and soil properties in different ecosystems in depressions between karst hills.

Methods We established 24 sample plots of 20 m × 20 m dimensions in four ecosystems (grassland, scrub, secondary forest and primary forest) in depressions between karst hills. We investigated the species composition and diversity characteristics of these ecosystems. We chose 35 indexes covering plant community and soil properties to study the relationships between plant factors and soil nutrients, soil mineral chemical components and soil microbes using analysis by principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical correlation analysis (CCA).

Important findings Along succession from grassland to scrub to secondary forest to primary forest, the maximum number of species, genera and families with importance values (IV) >10.00 and maximum species diversity were in secondary forest, and the optimal community structure was in primary forest. The depressions between karst hills had high landscape heterogeneity, and different ecosystems were influenced by different factors. Soil microbes were the dominant influence in karst fragile ecosystems, followed by scrub. CCA elucidated a close relationship between species diversity and soil nitrogen, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, microbial biomass carbon (C_mic), fungi and bacteria. Vegetation improvement and management practices should focus on such characteristics of different ecosystems when undertaking restoration and reconstruction of karst fragile ecosystems.

Key words: coupling relationship, depressions between karst hills, different ecosystems, soil, vegetation

DU Hu, PENG Wan-Xia, SONG Tong-Qing, WANG Ke-Lin, ZENG Fu-Ping, LU Shi-Yang, SHI Wei-Wei, TANG Cheng, TAN Qiu-Jin. Plant community characteristics and its coupling relationships with soil in depressions between karst hills, North Guangxi, China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2013, 37(3): 197-208.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1258.2013.00020

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2013/V37/I3/197

Figures/Tables 8

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生态系统 Ecosystem	科 Family	属 Genus	种 Species	重要值大于10.0的科属种 Families, genera, species with importance values more than 10.0
生态系统 Ecosystem	科 Family	属 Genus	种 Species	科 Family	比例 Proportion (%)	属 Genus	比例 Proportion (%)	种 Species	比例 Proportion (%)
草丛 Grassland	11	20	24	2	90.11	2	86.61	2	86.61
灌丛 Scrub	24	35	40	1	55.26	1	54.41	1	54.41
次生林 Secondary forest	49	84	101	8	63.53	7	53.91	6	49.38
原生林 Primary forest	50	79	98	5	49.76	5	46.57	5	42.51

生态系统 Ecosystem	科 Family	属 Genus	种 Species	重要值大于10.0的科属种 Families, genera, species with importance values more than 10.0
生态系统 Ecosystem	科 Family	属 Genus	种 Species	科 Family	比例 Proportion (%)	属 Genus	比例 Proportion (%)	种 Species	比例 Proportion (%)
草丛 Grassland	11	20	24	2	90.11	2	86.61	2	86.61
灌丛 Scrub	24	35	40	1	55.26	1	54.41	1	54.41
次生林 Secondary forest	49	84	101	8	63.53	7	53.91	6	49.38
原生林 Primary forest	50	79	98	5	49.76	5	46.57	5	42.51

生态系统 Ecosystem	高度 Height (m)	密度 Density (ind.·m^-2)	盖度 Coverage (%)
草丛 Grassland	1.13^Cd	174.84^Aa	74.17^Ab
灌丛 Scrub	2.22^Cc	21.22^Bb	82.5^Aab
次生林 Secondary forest	5.52^Bb	0.42^Bb	77.50^Ab
原生林 Primary forest	8.74^Aa	0.54^Bb	88.00^Aa

生态系统 Ecosystem	高度 Height (m)	密度 Density (ind.·m^-2)	盖度 Coverage (%)
草丛 Grassland	1.13^Cd	174.84^Aa	74.17^Ab
灌丛 Scrub	2.22^Cc	21.22^Bb	82.5^Aab
次生林 Secondary forest	5.52^Bb	0.42^Bb	77.50^Ab
原生林 Primary forest	8.74^Aa	0.54^Bb	88.00^Aa

层次 Layer	生态系统 Ecosystem	丰富度S Species richness	Shannon-Wiener指数 Shannon-Wiener index	Simpson指数 Simpson index	Pielou均匀度指数 Pielou evenness index
草本层 Grass layer	草丛 Grassland	7.666 7^Aa	0.871 7^Aa	0.388 3^Aa	0.375 0^Bb
	灌丛 Scrub	5.833 3^Aa	0.990 0^Aa	0.456 7^Aa	0.540 0^ABab
	次生林 Secondary forest	6.666 7^Aa	1.380 0^Aa	0.646 7^Aa	0.765 0^Aa
	原生林 Primary forest	5.166 7^Aa	1.211 7^Aa	0.626 7^Aa	0.791 7^Aa
灌木层 Shrub layer	草丛 Grassland	3.333 3^Bc	0.475 0^Bc	0.238 3^Bb	0.246 7^Bb
	灌丛 Scrub	13.333 3^Ab	1.648 3^Ab	0.630 0^Aa	0.625 0^Aa
	次生林 Secondary forest	21.666 7^Aa	2.545 0^Aa	0.850 0^Aa	0.828 3^Aa
	原生林 Primary forest	13.833 3_Ab	2.190 0^Aab	0.831 7^Aa	0.860 0^Aa
乔木层 Tree layer	灌丛 Scrub	12.000 0^Aa	1.928 3^Aa	0.801 7^Aa	0.781 7^Aa
	次生林 Secondary forest	14.500 0^Aa	1.705 0^Aa	0.681 7^Aa	0.645 0^Aa
	原生林 Primary forest	17.500 0^Aa	1.526 7^Aa	0.468 3^Aa	0.433 3^Aa