COMPOSITION, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND SURVIVAL DURING THE DRY SEASON OF TREE SEEDLINGS IN A TROPICAL FOREST IN XISHUANGBANNA, SW CHINA

doi:10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2009.04.004

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Tree seedlings are a vital component of forest ecosystems because they determine natural regeneration; however, they are poorly understood, especially in tropical areas. Our objectives were to examine the characteristics of seedling composition, spatial distribution of the dominant seedlings and changes in survival of newly established seedlings during the dry season in a tropical forest in Xishuangbanna, China.
Methods In late October 2007, we established 450 1-m² seedling plots in a 20 hm² tropical forest dynamics plot and completed the first survey, in which tree seedlings with DBH ＜1 cm were tagged, measured and identified to species. We re-censused the seedlings in late February and again in early May 2008. We selected newly established seedlings (height ≤30 cm) in 2007 to analyze survival of seedlings during the dry season from 2007 to 2008.
Important findings The plot had relatively high tree seedling richness and differences in numbers of seedlings among species. The 6 367 tree seedlings identified and recorded represented 49 families, 116 genera and 161 species (277 other seedlings were unidentified). The seedlings had values of Simpson, Shannon-Wiener and Pielou indexes of 0.69, 2.29 and 0.45, respectively. Species with ＜5 individuals accounted for 50.31% of the total number of species. At the 1-m² scale, the seedling density and species richness were (14.15 ± 0.72) ind.·m^-2 and (3.73 ± 0.10) sp.·m^-2 (Mean ± SE, n=450), respectively. Dominant seedlings included Parashorea chinensis, Castanopsis echidnocarpa and Pittosporopsis kerrii, which displayed different spatial distribution patterns closely associated with the topography, altitude and spatial patterns of their parent trees. During the dry season, 26.49% of the seedlings died, mainly dominant species. Mortality patterns varied widely among seedlings, e.g., mortality rates were 62.65% and 35.87% for Litsea panamanja and Parashorea chinensis, respectively. However, low mortality rates (＜9%) occurred in the seven dominant seedlings (Pittosporopsis kerrii, Mezzettiopsis creaghii, etc.). In addition, except for the 13 dominants (Parashorea chinensis, etc.), seedlings of the other 129 species had a combined mortality of 10.40%, and 91 of these 129 species lost no individuals.

Key words: tree seedling, composition, spatial distribution, survival, dry season, Xishuangbanna

LI Xiao-Liang, WANG Hong, ZHENG Zheng, LIN Lu-Xiang, DENG Xiao-Bao, CAO Min. COMPOSITION, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND SURVIVAL DURING THE DRY SEASON OF TREE SEEDLINGS IN A TROPICAL FOREST IN XISHUANGBANNA, SW CHINA[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2009, 33(4): 658-671.

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2009.04.004

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2009/V33/I4/658

Figures/Tables 7

References 45

[1]	Baraloto C, Goldberg DE (2004). Microhabitat associations and seedling bank dynamics in a neotropical forest. Oecologia, 141, 701-712. DOI URL
[2]	Chen ZH, Zhang DM, Lin FP (1996). Floristic and ecological studies of natural seedlings in the lower subtropical forest in Heishiding, Guangdong province. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (植物生态学报), 20, 568-579.
[3]	Connell JH (1971). On the role of natural enemies in preventing competitive exclusion in some marine animals and in rain forest trees. In: den Boer PJ, Gradwell GR eds. Dynamics of Populations. Center for Agricultural Publication and Documentation, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 298-312.
[4]	Curtis JT, McIntosh RP (1951). An upland forest continuum in the prairie-forest border region of Wisconsin. Ecology, 32, 476-496. DOI URL
[5]	Delissio LJ, Primack RB (2003). The impact of drought on the population dynamics of canopy-tree seedlings in an aseasonal Malaysian rain forest. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 19, 489-500. DOI URL
[6]	Easterling DR, Meehl GA, Parmesan C, Changnon SA, Karl TR, Mearns LO (2002). Climate extremes: observations, modeling and impacts. Science, 289, 2068-2074. DOI URL PMID
[7]	Engelbrecht BMJ, Kursar TA (2003). Comparative drought resistance of seedlings of 28 species of co-occurring tropical woody plants. Oecologia, 136, 383-393. DOI URL
[8]	Engelbrecht BMJ, Kursar TA, Tyree MT (2005). Drought effects on seedling survival in a tropical moist forest. Trees, 19, 312-321. DOI URL
[9]	Fang QL (房秋兰), Sha LQ (沙丽清) (2006). Soil respiration in a tropical seasonal rain forest and rubber plantation in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, SW China. Journal of Plant Ecology (Chinese Version) (植物生态学报), 30, 97-103. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[10]	Fisher BL, Howe HF, Wright SJ (1991). Survival and growth of Virola surinamensis yearlings: water augmentation in gap and understory. Oecologia, 86, 292-297. DOI URL PMID
[11]	Frey BR, Ashton MS, Mckenna JJ, Ellum D, Finkral A (2007). Topographic and temporal patterns in tree seedling establishment, growth, and survival among masting species of southern New England mixed-deciduous forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 245, 54-63. DOI URL
[12]	Hammond DS, Brown VK (1998). Disturbance, phenology and life-history characteristics: factors influencing distance/density-dependent attack on tropical seeds and seedlings.In: Newbery D, Brown ND, Prins HTT eds. Dynamics of Tropical Communities, UK, 51-78.
[13]	Harms KE, Wright SJ, Calderon O, Hernandez A, Herre EA (2000). Pervasive density-dependent recruitment enhances seedling diversity in a tropical forest. Nature, 404, 493-495. DOI URL PMID
[14]	Harper JL (1977). Population Biology of Plants. Academic Press, London.
[15]	He YT (何永涛), Li GC (李贵才), Cao M (曹敏), Tang Y (唐勇) (2003). Regeneration in gaps of the middle-mountain moist evergreen broad-leaved forest of Ailao Mountains. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 14, 1399-1404. (in Chinese with English abstract) URL PMID
[16]	Houle G (1992). Spatial relationship between seed and seedling abundance and mortality in a deciduous forest of north-eastern North America. Journal of Ecology, 80, 99-108. DOI URL
[17]	Huang ZL (黄忠良), Peng SL (彭少麟), Yi S (易俗) (2001). Factors affecting seedling establishment in monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest. Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany (热带亚热带植物学报), 9, 123-128. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[18]	Hubbell SP, Foster RB, O’Brien ST, Harms KE, Condit R, Wechsler B, Wright SJ, de Lao SL (1999). Light-gap disturbances, recruitment limitation, and tree diversity in a Neotropical forest. Science, 283, 554-557. DOI URL PMID
[19]	Janzen DH (1970). Herbivores and the number of tree species in tropical forests. American Naturalist, 104, 501-528. DOI URL
[20]	Khurana E, Singh JS (2000). Influence of seed size on seedling growth of Albizia procera under different soil water levels. Annals of Botany, 86, 1185-1192. DOI URL
[21]	Kikuchi T (2001). Vegetation and Landforms. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo.
[22]	Lan GY (兰国玉), Hu YH (胡跃华), Cao M (曹敏), Zhu H (朱华), Wang H (王洪), Zhou SS (周仕顺), Deng XB (邓晓保), Cui JY (崔景云), Huang JG (黄建国), Liu LY (刘林云), Xu HL (许海龙), Song JP (宋军平), He YC (何有才) (2008). Establishment of Xishuangbanna tropical forest dynamics plot: species compositions and spatial distribution patterns. Journal of Plant Ecology (Chinese Version) (植物生态学报), 32, 287-298. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[23]	Leishman MR, Westoby M (1994). The role of seed size in seedling establishment in dry soil conditions: experimental evidence from semi-arid species. Journal of Ecology, 82, 249-258. DOI URL
[24]	Li ZS (李宗善), Tang ZW (唐建维), Zheng Z (郑征), Zhu SZ (朱胜忠), Duan WY (段文勇), Song JP (宋军平), Guo XM (郭贤明), Zeng R (曾荣) (2005). Tree species diversity of tropical montane rain forest in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 16, 1183-1188. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[25]	McLaren KP, McDonad MA (2003). The effects of moisture and shade on seed germination and seedling survival in a tropical dry forest in Jamaica. Forest Ecology and Management, 183, 61-75. DOI URL
[26]	Nathan R, Muller-Landau HC (2000). Spatial patterns of seed dispersal, their determinants and consequences for recruitment. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 15, 278-285. DOI URL PMID
[27]	Parent S, Simard MJ, Morin H, Messier C (2003). Establishment and dynamics of the balsam fir seedling bank in old forests of northeastern Quebec. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 33, 597-603. DOI URL
[28]	Pielou EC (1966). The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 13, 131-144. DOI URL
[29]	Poorter L, Hayashida-Oliver Y (2000). Effects of seasonal drought on gap and understorey seedlings in Bolivian moist forest. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 16, 481-498. DOI URL
[30]	Shannon CE, Wiener WJ (1949). The Mathematical Theory of Communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 117.
[31]	Simpson EH (1949). Measurement of diversity. Nature, 163, 688. DOI URL
[32]	Smith DM, Ashton PMS (1993). Early dominance of pioneer hardwood after clearcutting and removal of advanced regeneration. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry, 10, 14-19. DOI URL
[33]	Streng DR, Glitzenstein JS, Harcombe PA (1989). Woody seedling dynamics in an east Texas floodplain forest. Ecological Monographs, 59, 177-204. DOI URL
[34]	Szwagrzyk J, Szewczyk J, Bodziarczyk J (2001). Dynamics of seedling banks in beech forest: result of a 10-year study on germination, growth and survival. Forest Ecology and Management, 141, 237-250. DOI URL
[35]	Takahashi K, Azuma H, Yasue K (2003). Effects of climate on the radial growth of tree species in the upper and lower distribution limits of an altitudinal ecotone on Mount Norikura, central Japan. Ecological Research, 18, 549-558. DOI URL
[36]	Turner IM (1990a). The seedling survivorship and growth of three Shorea species in a Malaysian tropical rain forest. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 6, 469-478. DOI URL
[37]	Turner IM (1990b). Tree seedling growth and survival in a Malaysian rain forest. Biotropica, 22, 146-154. DOI URL
[38]	Veenendaal EM, Swaine MD, Agyeman VK, Blay D, Abebrese IK, Mulins CE (1996). Differences in plant and soil-water relations in and around a forest gap in West Africa during the dry season may influence seedlings establishment and survival. Journal of Ecology, 84, 83-90. DOI URL
[39]	Walsh RPD, Newbery DM (1999). The ecoclimatology of Danum, Sabah, in the context of the world’s rainforest regions, with particular reference to dry periods and their impact. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London, Series B, 354, 1391-1405.
[40]	Webb CO, Peart DR (1999). Seedling density dependence promotes coexistence of bornean rain forests trees. Ecology, 80, 2006-2017. DOI URL
[41]	Wright SJ, Muller-Landau HC, Calderon O, Hernandez A (2005). Annual and spatial variation in seedfall and seedling recruitment in a neotropical forest. Ecology, 86, 848-860. DOI URL
[42]	Yan XF (闫兴富), Cao M (曹敏) (2008). Seedling growth and survival of the endangered tree species Shorea wantianshuea after a mast-fruiting event. Journal of Plant Ecology (Chinese Version) ( 植物生态学报), 32, 55-64. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[43]	Yu SL (于顺利), Chen HW (陈宏伟), Li H (李晖) (2007). Review of advances in ecology of seed mass. Journal of Plant Ecology (Chinese Version) (植物生态学报), 31, 989-997. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[44]	Zhang J (张健), Hao ZQ (郝占庆), Li BH (李步杭), Ye J (叶吉), Wang XG (王绪高), Yao XL (姚晓琳) (2008). Composition and seasonal dynamics of seed rain in broad-leaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forest, Changbai Mountain. Acta Ecological Sinica (生态学报), 28, 2445-2454. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[45]	Zhu H (朱华) (2007). On the classification of forest vegetation in Xishuangbanna, southern Yunnan. Acta Botanica Yunnanica (云南植物研究), 29, 377-387. (in Chinese with English abstract)

种名 Species	幼苗数量 No. of seedling	幼苗密度 Seedling density (Mean ± SE, ind.·m^-2, n = 450 )	幼苗密度的变异系数 CV (%)	出现的样方数 No. of quadrates presented	相对多度 Relative abundance	相对频度 Relative frequency	重要值 Importance value
望天树 Parashorea chinensis	3 401	7.56 ± 0.60	169.40	266	53.42	15.83	69.25
短刺锥 Castanopsis echidnocarpa	850	1.89 ± 0.34	382.08	74	13.35	4.40	17.75
假海桐 Pittosporopsis kerrii	336	0.75 ± 0.07	194.10	170	5.28	10.12	15.40
金钩花 Pseuduvaria indochinensis	99	0.22 ± 0.03	272.37	75	1.55	4.46	6.01
黑毛柿 Diospyros hasseltii	133	0.30 ± 0.12	893.28	46	2.09	2.74	4.83
红光树 Knema furfuracea	92	0.20 ± 0.03	314.13	56	1.44	3.33	4.77
滇毒鼠子 Dichapetalum gelonioides	70	0.16 ± 0.02	298.97	53	1.10	3.15	4.25
染木树 Saprosma ternate	67	0.15 ± 0.02	299.07	53	1.05	3.15	4.20
香花木姜子 Litsea panamanja	84	0.19 ± 0.06	730.26	25	1.32	1.49	2.81
蚁花 Mezzettiopsis creaghii	38	0.08 ± 0.01	348.07	36	0.60	2.14	2.74
大萼木姜子 Litsea baviensis	87	0.19 ± 0.14	1 518.57	20	1.37	1.19	2.56
云树 Garcinia cowa	35	0.08 ± 0.01	365.46	33	0.55	1.96	2.51
绒毛番龙眼 Pometia tomentosa	42	0.09 ± 0.02	490.44	29	0.66	1.73	2.39
钝叶桂 Cinnamomum bejolghota	35	0.08 ± 0.02	412.77	30	0.55	1.79	2.34
椴叶山麻杆 Alchornea tiliifolia	60	0.13 ± 0.04	559.64	23	0.94	1.37	2.31
云南崖摩 Amoora yunnanensis	57	0.13 ± 0.06	1 074.53	20	0.90	1.19	2.09
割舌树 Walsura robusta	49	0.11 ± 0.06	1 167.51	13	0.77	0.77	1.54
勐腊核果木 Drypetes hoaensis	32	0.07 ± 0.02	726.16	17	0.50	1.01	1.51
山木患 Harpullia cupanioides	21	0.05 ± 0.01	535.31	18	0.33	1.07	1.40
密花火筒树 Leea compactiflora	27	0.06 ± 0.02	880.72	14	0.42	0.83	1.25
小计 Sub-total	5 615	–	–	–	88.19	63.72	151.91
其他141种 Other 141 species	752	–	–	–	11.81	36.28	48.09
合计 Total	6 367	–	–	–	100.00	100.00	200.00

种名 Species	幼苗数量 No. of seedling	幼苗密度 Seedling density (Mean ± SE, ind.·m^-2, n = 450 )	幼苗密度的变异系数 CV (%)	出现的样方数 No. of quadrates presented	相对多度 Relative abundance	相对频度 Relative frequency	重要值 Importance value
望天树 Parashorea chinensis	3 401	7.56 ± 0.60	169.40	266	53.42	15.83	69.25
短刺锥 Castanopsis echidnocarpa	850	1.89 ± 0.34	382.08	74	13.35	4.40	17.75
假海桐 Pittosporopsis kerrii	336	0.75 ± 0.07	194.10	170	5.28	10.12	15.40
金钩花 Pseuduvaria indochinensis	99	0.22 ± 0.03	272.37	75	1.55	4.46	6.01
黑毛柿 Diospyros hasseltii	133	0.30 ± 0.12	893.28	46	2.09	2.74	4.83
红光树 Knema furfuracea	92	0.20 ± 0.03	314.13	56	1.44	3.33	4.77
滇毒鼠子 Dichapetalum gelonioides	70	0.16 ± 0.02	298.97	53	1.10	3.15	4.25
染木树 Saprosma ternate	67	0.15 ± 0.02	299.07	53	1.05	3.15	4.20
香花木姜子 Litsea panamanja	84	0.19 ± 0.06	730.26	25	1.32	1.49	2.81
蚁花 Mezzettiopsis creaghii	38	0.08 ± 0.01	348.07	36	0.60	2.14	2.74
大萼木姜子 Litsea baviensis	87	0.19 ± 0.14	1 518.57	20	1.37	1.19	2.56
云树 Garcinia cowa	35	0.08 ± 0.01	365.46	33	0.55	1.96	2.51
绒毛番龙眼 Pometia tomentosa	42	0.09 ± 0.02	490.44	29	0.66	1.73	2.39
钝叶桂 Cinnamomum bejolghota	35	0.08 ± 0.02	412.77	30	0.55	1.79	2.34
椴叶山麻杆 Alchornea tiliifolia	60	0.13 ± 0.04	559.64	23	0.94	1.37	2.31
云南崖摩 Amoora yunnanensis	57	0.13 ± 0.06	1 074.53	20	0.90	1.19	2.09
割舌树 Walsura robusta	49	0.11 ± 0.06	1 167.51	13	0.77	0.77	1.54
勐腊核果木 Drypetes hoaensis	32	0.07 ± 0.02	726.16	17	0.50	1.01	1.51
山木患 Harpullia cupanioides	21	0.05 ± 0.01	535.31	18	0.33	1.07	1.40
密花火筒树 Leea compactiflora	27	0.06 ± 0.02	880.72	14	0.42	0.83	1.25
小计 Sub-total	5 615	–	–	–	88.19	63.72	151.91
其他141种 Other 141 species	752	–	–	–	11.81	36.28	48.09
合计 Total	6 367	–	–	–	100.00	100.00	200.00

种名 Species	2007年的实生苗个体数 No. of seedlings newly established in 2007	幼苗死亡数 No. of dead seedlings
种名 Species	2007年的实生苗个体数 No. of seedlings newly established in 2007	雾凉季 Foggy-cool season	干热季 Dry-hot season	旱季(雾凉季+干热季) Dry season
望天树 Parashorea chinensis	3 339	899 (26.92)	299 (12.25)	1 198 (35.87)
短刺锥 Castanopsis echidnocarpa	734	60 (8.17)	34 (5.04)	94 (12.80)
假海桐 Pittosporopsis kerrii	254	12 (4.72)	8 (3.31)	20 (7.87)
金钩花 Pseuduvaria indochinensis	71	3 (4.23)	0 (0.00)	3 (4.23)
黑毛柿 Diospyros hasseltii	108	13 (12.04)	3 (3.16)	16 (14.82)
红光树 Knema furfuracea	75	3 ( 4.00)	0 (0.00)	3 ( 4.00)
滇毒鼠子 Dichapetalum gelonioides	58	2 ( 3.45)	1 (1.79)	3 (5.17)
染木树 Saprosma ternate	44	1 (2.27)	0 (0.00)	1 (2.27)
香花木姜子 Litsea panamanja	83	45 (54.22)	7 (18.42)	52 (62.65)
蚁花 Mezzettiopsis creaghii	25	2 (8.00)	0 (0.00)	2 (8.00)
大萼木姜子 Litsea baviensis	76	9 (11.84)	7 (10.45)	16 (21.05)
云树 Garcinia cowa	15	0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)
绒毛番龙眼 Pometia tomentosa	31	4 (12.90)	1 (3.70)	5 (16.13)
小计 Sub-total	4 913	1 053 (21.43)	360 (9.33)	1 413 (28.76)
其他种 Other species	692	47 (6.79)	25 (3.88)	72 (10.40)
合计 Total	5 605	1 100 (19.63)	385 (8.55)	1 485 (26.49)

种名 Species	2007年的实生苗个体数 No. of seedlings newly established in 2007	幼苗死亡数 No. of dead seedlings
种名 Species	2007年的实生苗个体数 No. of seedlings newly established in 2007	雾凉季 Foggy-cool season	干热季 Dry-hot season	旱季(雾凉季+干热季) Dry season
望天树 Parashorea chinensis	3 339	899 (26.92)	299 (12.25)	1 198 (35.87)
短刺锥 Castanopsis echidnocarpa	734	60 (8.17)	34 (5.04)	94 (12.80)
假海桐 Pittosporopsis kerrii	254	12 (4.72)	8 (3.31)	20 (7.87)
金钩花 Pseuduvaria indochinensis	71	3 (4.23)	0 (0.00)	3 (4.23)
黑毛柿 Diospyros hasseltii	108	13 (12.04)	3 (3.16)	16 (14.82)
红光树 Knema furfuracea	75	3 ( 4.00)	0 (0.00)	3 ( 4.00)
滇毒鼠子 Dichapetalum gelonioides	58	2 ( 3.45)	1 (1.79)	3 (5.17)
染木树 Saprosma ternate	44	1 (2.27)	0 (0.00)	1 (2.27)
香花木姜子 Litsea panamanja	83	45 (54.22)	7 (18.42)	52 (62.65)
蚁花 Mezzettiopsis creaghii	25	2 (8.00)	0 (0.00)	2 (8.00)
大萼木姜子 Litsea baviensis	76	9 (11.84)	7 (10.45)	16 (21.05)
云树 Garcinia cowa	15	0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)
绒毛番龙眼 Pometia tomentosa	31	4 (12.90)	1 (3.70)	5 (16.13)
小计 Sub-total	4 913	1 053 (21.43)	360 (9.33)	1 413 (28.76)
其他种 Other species	692	47 (6.79)	25 (3.88)	72 (10.40)
合计 Total	5 605	1 100 (19.63)	385 (8.55)	1 485 (26.49)