Effects of logging on the trade-off between seed and sprout regeneration of dominant woody species in secondary forests of the Natural Forest Protection Project of China

Background:Promoting natural regeneration(including seed and sprout regeneration)of dominant woody species is essential for restoring secondary forests.However,such restoration processes have been decelerated by the enclosure under Natural Forest Protection Project of China(NFPP).It remains unclear how to implement appropriate management measures(e.g.,whether to apply logging and the suitable intensity)to facilitate natural regeneration according to the responses of two regeneration modes to management measures.We monitored the early stages of seed regeneration(seed rain,soil seed bank,and 1–3-year-old seedlings)and sprout regeneration(stump sprout rate,stump survival rate,probability of sprouting,and number of sprouts per stump)over the first 3 years(2017–2019)after logging under three intensity regimes(control[0%],25%,and 50%logging intensity)in secondary forests.Results:The seed rain density decreased markedly,seedling density increased insignificantly after logging,and logging promoted seedling survival at an increasing conversion rate of 3-year-old seedlings(37.5%under 0%,100%under 25%,and 80.95%under 50%logging)compared to those of the control.The proportion of 3-year-old seedlings increased with logging intensity and was the highest(16.2%)at 50%logging intensity.Sprout density was not affected by logging intensity,however,under 25%and 50%logging,it decreased by 27%and 6%in 2018,and by 37%and 33%in 2019,respectively.Seedling density was 41.65-and 15.31-fold higher than that of sprouts in the 50%and 25%logging treatments,respectively.Based on the relative contributions of the two regeneration modes after logging,three groups of natural regeneration patterns were classified for dominant woody species in temperate secondary forests,i.e.,seed regeneration preference(Betula dahurica,Carpinus cordata and Fraxinus mandshurica),sprout regeneration preference(Acer mono and Acer pseudosieboldianum)and no preference(Quercus mongolica,Fraxinus rhynchophylla,and Juglans mandshurica).Conclusion:In addition to enclosure,appropriate logging can be applied according to the responses of various natural regeneration patterns of dominant woody species to logging in temperate secondary forests under the NFPP.

Repairing the injured spinal cord: sprouting versus regeneration. Is this a realistic match?

The article by Meves and Zheng （2014） is addressing a continu- ous shift in the field of spinal cord injury （SCI） research that has occurred over the last century. Before that, the spinal cord was viewed as ＂hard wired＂ and treatment considerations were based on observations that axons in the periphery were able to regenerate, but those in the central nervous system （CNS） were not （David and Aguayo, 1981）.

Study on characteristics and regeneration rules of Salix gordejevii in Hunshandak Sandland, China

Salix gordejevii, a species of dune-fixing pioneer shrub in the Hunshandak Sandland in China, plays a vital role in maintenance and improvement of the local ecological environment. Salix gordejevii has an r-type reproductive countermeasure, which means it produces large quantifies of seeds that have a high germination rate but relatively low seedling viability. Our research on the seed regeneration and sprouting regeneration characteristics of Salix gordejevii shows that its sprouting regeneration process is more productive and efficient than its seed regeneration process. At the same time, growth of Salix gordejevii would decline when the drifting sand dune was fixed. To assess its sprouting regeneration process, we analyzed the number, length, and diameter of new shoots under different cutting treatments, and found significant differences based on various cutting heights and different cutting times （April vs. October）. We conclude that cutting measures which take advantage of this species＇ robust sprout tillering can in- crease the biomass of this shrub and also can improve its canopy density and its forage properties for livestock grazing, with the added benefits of improved sand-fixing and prevention of wind erosion.

The effects of stump size and within-gap position on sprout non-structural carbohydrates concentrations and regeneration in forest gaps vary among species with different shade tolerances

Background:To restore secondary forests(major forest resources worldwide),it is essential to accelerate the natural regeneration of dominant trees by altering micro-environments.Forest gaps are products of various disturbances,ranging from natural storms or wildfires to anthropogenic events like logging and slashing-andburning,and sprouts of most tree species with non-structural carbohydrates(NSCs)storage can regenerate from stumps after gap formation.However,how the stump sprouts with diverse NSCs storages and stump sizes(i.e.,diameters)adapt to various micro-environments of within-gap positions remains unclear.Therefore in this study,we monitored the stump sprout regeneration(density,survival,and growth)and NSCs concentrations of three dominant tree species with different shade tolerances and varying stump diameters at five within-gap positions for the first two consecutive years after gap formation.Results:Stump diameter was positively correlated with sprout density,growth,and survival of all three tree species,but insignificantly related with sprout NSCs concentrations at the early stage after gap formation.The effect of within-gap position on sprout NSCs concentrations was different among species.After an environmental adaptation of two growing seasons,the north of gap(higher light availability and lower soil moisture habitat)was the least conducive for shade-intolerant Quercus mongolica to accumulate leaf NSCs,and the east of gap(shadier and drier habitat)was conducive to increasing the leaf NSCs concentrations of shade-tolerant Tilia mandshurica.Conclusions:Within-gap position significantly affected leaf NSCs concentrations of all three tree species,but most of the sprout growth,survival,and stem NSCs concentrations were independent of the various within-gap positions.Besides stump diameter,the NSCs stored in stump and root systems and the interspecific differences in shade tolerance also contributed more in sprout regeneration at the early stage(2 years)of gap formation.A prolonged monitoring(>10 years)is needed to further examine the long-term effects of stump diameter and within-gap position on sprout regeneration.All of these findings could be applied to gap-based silviculture by promoting sprout regeneration of dominant tree species with different shade tolerances,which would help accelerate the restoration of temperate secondary forests.