Spatial patterns and associations of dominant species in a subtropical mid-mountain moist evergreen broadleaf forest in Gaoligong Mountains, Southwest China

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2023.0209

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims The spatial distributions and associations of tree species offer valuable insights into interspecies relationships and their interplay with the surrounding environment. These insights are critical for understanding community assembly and species coexistence.

Methods To investigate the spatial distribution patterns of the tree species in the mid-mountain moist evergreen broadleaf forest in the south of Gaoligong Mountains, the spatial distributions and interspecies associations of ten dominant species were analyzed by using the point pattern analyses for all woody plants with diameter at breast height ≥ 1 cm in a 4 hm² plot.

Important findings Our results showed: (1) All ten dominant species and the overall tree population exhibited a J-shaped diameter class distribution, indicating growing populations with successful recruitment. (2) Under the complete spatial randomness with univariate pairwise correlation functions, the small-scale patterns of species distribution were aggregated. This aggregation weakened with increasing scale, resulting in random and uniform distribution at larger scales. After accounting for environmental heterogeneity, the range of aggregation was reduced, while the range of random and uniform distribution expanded. (3) Bivariate pairwise correlation function tests under complete spatial randomness null model demonstrated that interspecies correlations were dominated by significant positive associations, while become no significant association under heterogeneous Poisson null model. In conclusion, the distribution patterns and correlations of ten dominant species in Gaoligong Mountains varied with spatial scale, further emphasizing the strong scale-dependency of species distributions. This suggests that forests in Gaoligong Mountains were influenced by several factors, such as dispersal limitation, negative density dependence, and habitat heterogeneity.

Key words: Gaoligong Mountains, point pattern, pairwise correlation function, spatial distribution, interspecies associations

WANG Li-Ping, WU Jun-Jie, CHAI Yong, LI Jia-Hua, YANG Chang-Ji, ZHAO Shi-Jie. Spatial patterns and associations of dominant species in a subtropical mid-mountain moist evergreen broadleaf forest in Gaoligong Mountains, Southwest China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2024, 48(2): 180-191.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2023.0209

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2024/V48/I2/180

Figures/Tables 7

Fig. 1 Topography map of the 4 hm2 forest dynamics plot of Gaoligong Mountains.

Table 1 Top ten dominant tree species with importance values in the plot of Gaoligong Mountains

物种名 Species name	多度 Abundance	频度 Frequency	相对多度 Relative abundance (%)	相对频度 Relative frequency (%)	相对显著度 Relative dominance (%)	重要值 Important value (%)
多花山矾 Symplocos ramosissima	837	82	7.937	2.936	1.563	4.145
肖樱叶柃 Eurya pseudocerasifera	454	82	4.305	2.936	4.599	3.947
长果大头茶 Polyspora longicarpa	181	48	1.716	1.719	7.640	3.692
龙陵新木姜子 Neolitsea lunglingensis	518	84	4.912	3.008	2.669	3.529
硬壳柯 Lithocarpus hancei	474	80	4.495	2.864	2.991	3.450
薄片青冈 Quercus lamellosa	213	76	2.020	2.721	5.517	3.419
毛柄槭 Acer pubipetiolatum	453	72	4.295	2.578	3.356	3.410
尖叶桂樱 Prunus undulata	337	89	3.196	3.187	3.827	3.403
多沟杜英 Elaeocarpus lacunosus	192	70	1.821	2.506	5.295	3.207
星毛鸭脚木 Heptapleurum minutistellatum	277	73	2.627	2.614	4.089	3.110
合计 Total	3 939	756	37.324	27.069	41.546	35.312

Fig. 2 Diameter class distribution of the top four dominant species with important values and the species of whole plot in Gaoligong Mountains. DBH, diameter at breast height.

Fig. 3 Spatial distribution of the top four dominant species with important values in Gaoligong Mountains.

Fig. 4 Spatial distribution of the top four dominant species with important values under the null model of complete spatial randomness (CSR) and heterogeneous Poisson (HP) in Gaoligong Mountains. Solid lines are the function value of the bivariate pair-correlation g(r) function, dotted lines are the theoretical value of the g(r) function; the gray shaded parts are 99% confidence interval.

Fig. 5 Spatial association among the top four dominant species with important values under the null model of complete spatial randomness (CSR) in Gaoligong Mountains. Solid lines are the function value of the bivariate pair-correlation g12(r) function, dotted lines are the theoretical value of the g12(r) function; the gray shaded parts are 99% confidence interval. Ep, Eurya pseudocerasifera; Nl, Neolitsea lunglingensis; Pl, Polyspora longicarpa; Sr, Symplocos ramosissima.

Fig. 6 Spatial association among the top four dominant species with important values under the null model of antecedent condition (AC) in Gaoligong Mountains. Solid lines are the function value of the bivariate pair-correlation g12(r) function, dotted lines are the theoretical value of the g12(r) function; the gray shaded parts are 99% confidence interval. Ep, Eurya pseudocerasifera; Nl, Neolitsea lunglingensis; Pl, Polyspora longicarpa; Sr, Symplocos ramosissima.

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