Chin J Plan Ecolo ›› 1999, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (6): 544-556.

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest Floor in Tiantong, Zhejiang Province

ZHANG Du-Jian, YE Xiao-Ye and YOU Wen-Hui   

  • Published:1999-06-10
  • Contact: WAN Shi-Qiang

Abstract: This paper deals with the plant species and the function of the evergreen broad-leaved forest floor in Tiantong. The results are as follows: there were 44 families, 78 genera, 114 species of vascular plants. The Pteridaphyta, especially the Diplopterygium glaucum, took the most advantage, being the most dominant species. The cosmopolitan families and hemicryptophyte occupied the highest percentage of the herbs. The evergreen species accounted for 84.6%. And the genera of the Asian and North American discontinuous distribution were not discovered. The seedling of trees and shrubs accounted for 51 species. 80% of the plant individuals belonged to 4~6 species. There were 24 species of liana in the forest floor. 25% of them were herbaceous species, 42% were deciduous. On the ground, between bryophytes (22 species) cover and litter exhibited mosaic distribution pattern. In late-successional communities the species of bryophytes became more and its cover were higher than early stages. D. glaucum and its litter established a very complex layer ,which obstructed the forest litter fall to the ground. It reduced near-ground light intensity and made it below seedling light composition point. It inhibited the natural regeneration of the forest. The litter obstructed the seeds to the duff, only about 17%~22.3% of the Castanopsis fargesii seeds could penetrate litter and got into the duff. In winter, about 98.2% of the ground C. fargesii seeds were consumed or transported by rodents. Among litter fall about 28.2% of the seeds went rotten. Because of deficiency of soil water, the seeds of litter surface regeneration rate and survival rate were lower than the duff. The naturally regenerated seedlings of C. fargesii were mainly found in the "herb gaps".