Sap Flow of Abies georgei var. smithii and Its Relationship with the Environment Factors in the Tibetan Subalpine Region, China

Abies georgei var. smithii is a dominant species playing an important role in protecting biodiversity and sustaining the forestry ecosystems in Southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Stem sap flows of five different diameters at the breast height(DBH) A. georgei var. smithii samples were monitored continuously with the thermal dissipation probe for the entire growing period in order to understand the water transportation mechanism and the effects of environmental factors on its transpiration and growth. Relative environment factors, temperature and humidity of air, photosynthetically active radiation, rainfall, and wind speed, soil moisture, etc. were measured by the automatic weather stations. Diurnal and seasonal variations in sap flow rate with the different stem diameters and their correlations with meteorological factors were analyzed. The diurnal change in sap flow velocity showed a single-peak curve at the daily time scale, whereas a lower sap flow velocity can be observed in the largest DBH sample tree at night. The maximum average velocity was observed in August, whereas the minimum velocity was observed in January, and a large amount of water evaporated in summer owing to the higher sap flow velocity. In addition, sap flow velocity was closely related to changes in the micrometeorological factors, with average sap flow velocity showing significant linear correlations with air temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, rainfall, and vapor pressure deficit of air and soil moisture. Therefore, some measures, improving the light and temperature conditions, should be taken for protecting A. georgei var. smithii population in the Tibetan Plateau.

Spatial pattern analysis and associations of different growth stages of populations of Abies georgei var.smithii in Southeast Tibet,China

Abies georgei var.smithii is an important plant species in Southeast Tibet,China.It has high ecological value in terms of biodiversity protection,as well as soil and water conservation.We analyzed the spatial pattern and associations of A.georgei var.smithii populations at different growth stages by using Ripley's L function for point pattern analysis.The diameter structure was a nearly reverse 'J' shape.The amount of saplings and medium-sized trees accounts for a large part of the entire population,suggesting a high regeneration rate and an expanding population.In the transition from saplings to medium trees or to large trees,saplings show a significant aggregation distribution at small scales,while medium trees and large trees show a random distribution.There are significant inverse associations between saplings and medium trees and large trees at small scales,while there are no obvious associations between medium trees and large trees.The natural regeneration was affected by interspecific competition,and it was also affected by intraspecific competition.The joint effects of biological characteristics and environmental factors contribute to the spatial distribution pattern and associations of this A.georgei var.sm ithii population.

Influence of topography,soil properties and plant community on the biomass of Abies georgei var.smithii seedlings in Southeast Tibet

Biomass of seedlings at different developing stages of growth is important information for studying the response of species to site conditions.The objectives of this study was to explore the distribution characteristics of AGB(above-ground biomass)and BGB(below-ground biomass)of Abies georgei var.smithii seedlings of different ages,and investigate the effects of topography(slope aspect,altitude),plant community characteristics(crown density,species diversity,etc.),and soil properties(soil physical and chemical properties)on the biomass and its allocation.Seedlings in five age classes(1–2,3–4,5–6,7–8,and 9–10 years old)were collected by full excavation from 6 elevations(3800 m,3900 m,4000 m,4100 m,4200 m,4300 m)on the north and south slopes of Sejila Mountain in Tibet.15seedlings of each age class were investigated at one altitude.The individual effects of seedling age(SA)and the interaction effects of SA,slope aspect(SL),and elevation(EG),namely,SL×EG,SL×SA,EG×SA,and SL×EG×SA,had significant effects on the AGB of the seedlings(p<0.05),whereas BGB was only significantly affected by SA(p<0.001).The AGB and BGB of the seedlings showed a binomial growth trend with the increase in seedling age,and had an allometric relationship at different elevations,α(allometric exponential)varied from 0.913 to 1.046 in the northern slope,and from 1.004 to 1.268 in the southern slope.The biomass of seedlings on the northern slope was remarkably affected by stand factors,with a contribution rate of 47.8%,whereas that on the southern slope was considerably affected by soil factors with a contribution rate of 53.2%.The results showed that age was the most important factor affecting seedling biomass.The allometric pattern of seedling biomass was relatively stable,but in a highaltitude habitat,A.georgei var.smithii seedlings increased the input of BGB.Understanding seedling biomass allocation and its influencing factors is useful for evaluating plants’ability to acquire resources and survival strategies for adaptation to the environment in Tibet Plateau.

Controls of seed quantity and quality on seedling recruitment of smith fir along altitudinal gradient in southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Alpine treeline ecotones are harsh environment for tree establishment due to low temperature. Tree establishment at treelines requires favorable climate, suitable microsites, and viable seeds. But most researches have been addressed treeline microclimate and its effects on tree regeneration, the knowledge of seed quantity and quality and its controls on seedling recruitment were limited. We measured seed rain, soil seed bank, seed germination rate and seedling recruitment in natural forests in combination with seed transplanting manipulation to evaluate the controls of seed quantity and quality on seedling recruitment of Abies georgei var. smithii （smith fir） along altitudinal gradient, with focus on treeline ecotone in the Sygera Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Both seed quantity and seed quality of smith fir decreased with increasing altitude and was thereby associated with decline in seed germination rate. Seed quantity and seedling recruitment were better in north-facing slope than in south slope. The treeline ecotone above 42oo m appeared as the threshold altitude to sharply decrease seed quality and seedling recruitment. The emergence and overwintering rates of transplanting seeds from 3600-38oo m also went down remarkably above 4200 m at north-facing slope. It also underpins the fact that treeline ecotone is the bottleneck of seedling recruitment. Our results suggest that seed quantity and quality are the principal limitation of treeline upward advance. This study also provides evidence to support stable treeline position in southeastern Tibetan Plateau.