To understand the impacts of reforestation on woody species composition,species diversity and community structure,seven plantation forests in dryhot valley of the Jinsha River in Southwest China were investigated,with...To understand the impacts of reforestation on woody species composition,species diversity and community structure,seven plantation forests in dryhot valley of the Jinsha River in Southwest China were investigated,with adjacent wastelands,natural shrub grassland and a natural forest as references.Species importance value,species richness,species heterogeneity and Sorenson similarity index between plantations and the natural forest were analyzed.Results indicated that compared to wastelands and natural shrub grassland,reforestation improved species diversity and community structure,and more forest woody species found suitable habitats in plantations.Species diversity in understory of plantations and Sorenson similarity index were significantly negatively correlated with stem density in mature plantations(26-31 years old).Higher species diversity and Sorenson similarity index existed in mature sparse plantations due to lower stem density and more tree species planted initially.In contrast,reference natural forest,with species heterogeneity of 2.28 for shrub layer,showed the highest species diversity.It would take a long time for species composition and diversity to recover through reforestation in a dry-hot valley.Therefore,it was essential to protect remnant natural forests strictly and reforest with suitable management such as lower stem density and increasing genetic diversity of trees planted.展开更多
Aims Alien plant invasion has become a major global environmental issue,causing severe economic and ecological damages.Severe invasions have been reported in some regions of China.However,most studies have been conduc...Aims Alien plant invasion has become a major global environmental issue,causing severe economic and ecological damages.Severe invasions have been reported in some regions of China.However,most studies have been conducted at local and provincial levels,and the overall degree of invasion in natural forests across China remains unclear.Here,we explored the biogeographic patterns and their environmental and socioeconomic controls of the invaded alien woody plants in natural forests across the country.Methods We compiled the data of 3573 natural forest plots across the China's Mainland and mapped spatial distribution of alien woody plant invasion.We also used logistic regression models to identify the key socioeconomic and environmental factors that were associated with the observed invasion patterns.Important Findings We found that only 271 plots among 3573 natural forest plots were invaded by alien woody plants,accounting for 7.58%of all plots.Among all 2825 woody plant species across all plots surveyed,only 5 alien species(0.177%)were found.Both human activities and climate factors were related to the observed invasion patterns.Since China’s natural forests are mostly located in remote mountainous areas with limited human disturbance,alien woody plant invasions are less than those reported in North America and Europe.However,with the development of transportation and increased economic activities in mountainous areas,more invasions by alien plants may be expected in the future.Therefore,proactive management and policy making are desired to prevent or slow down the invasion processes.展开更多
基金supported financially by the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (B08037)
文摘To understand the impacts of reforestation on woody species composition,species diversity and community structure,seven plantation forests in dryhot valley of the Jinsha River in Southwest China were investigated,with adjacent wastelands,natural shrub grassland and a natural forest as references.Species importance value,species richness,species heterogeneity and Sorenson similarity index between plantations and the natural forest were analyzed.Results indicated that compared to wastelands and natural shrub grassland,reforestation improved species diversity and community structure,and more forest woody species found suitable habitats in plantations.Species diversity in understory of plantations and Sorenson similarity index were significantly negatively correlated with stem density in mature plantations(26-31 years old).Higher species diversity and Sorenson similarity index existed in mature sparse plantations due to lower stem density and more tree species planted initially.In contrast,reference natural forest,with species heterogeneity of 2.28 for shrub layer,showed the highest species diversity.It would take a long time for species composition and diversity to recover through reforestation in a dry-hot valley.Therefore,it was essential to protect remnant natural forests strictly and reforest with suitable management such as lower stem density and increasing genetic diversity of trees planted.
基金This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31988102).
文摘Aims Alien plant invasion has become a major global environmental issue,causing severe economic and ecological damages.Severe invasions have been reported in some regions of China.However,most studies have been conducted at local and provincial levels,and the overall degree of invasion in natural forests across China remains unclear.Here,we explored the biogeographic patterns and their environmental and socioeconomic controls of the invaded alien woody plants in natural forests across the country.Methods We compiled the data of 3573 natural forest plots across the China's Mainland and mapped spatial distribution of alien woody plant invasion.We also used logistic regression models to identify the key socioeconomic and environmental factors that were associated with the observed invasion patterns.Important Findings We found that only 271 plots among 3573 natural forest plots were invaded by alien woody plants,accounting for 7.58%of all plots.Among all 2825 woody plant species across all plots surveyed,only 5 alien species(0.177%)were found.Both human activities and climate factors were related to the observed invasion patterns.Since China’s natural forests are mostly located in remote mountainous areas with limited human disturbance,alien woody plant invasions are less than those reported in North America and Europe.However,with the development of transportation and increased economic activities in mountainous areas,more invasions by alien plants may be expected in the future.Therefore,proactive management and policy making are desired to prevent or slow down the invasion processes.