The storage and utilization of carbohydrates in response to elevation mediated by tree organs in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests

Global climate change can affect tree growth and carbon sink function by influencing plant carbohydrate synthesis and utilization,while elevation can be used as an ideal setting under natural conditions to simulate climate change effects.The effect of elevation on tree growth may depend on organ type.However,the allocation patterns of nonstructural and structural carbohydrates(NSCs and SCs,respectively)in different tree organs and their response to elevation remain unclear.We selected four dominant tree species,Schima superba,Castanopsis eyrei,Castanopsis fargesii and Michelia maudiae,along an elevation gradient from 609 to 1,207 m in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests and analyzed leaf,trunk,and fine root NSCs,carbon(C),nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)concentrations and the relative abundance of SCs.Leaf NSCs increased initially and then decreased,and trunk NSCs increased with increasing elevation.However,root NSCs decreased with increasing elevation.The relative abundance of SCs in leaves and trunks decreased,while the relative abundance of root SCs increased with increasing elevation.No significant correlations between SCs and NSCs in leaves were detected,while there were negative correlations between SCs and NSCs in trunks,roots,and all organs.Hierarchical partitioning analysis indicated that plant C/N and C/P were the main predictors of changes in SCs and NSCs.Our results suggest that tree organs have divergent responses to elevation and that increasing elevation will inhibit the aboveground part growth and enhance the root growth of trees.A tradeoff between the C distribution used for growth and storage was confirmed along the elevation gradient,which is mainly manifested in the"sink"organs of NSCs.Our results provide insight into tree growth in the context of global climate change scenarios in subtropical forest ecosystems.

The Comparison of Cold tolerance of Three Species of Evergreen Broad-leaved Woody Plants

[Objectives]This study aimed to select evergreen broad-leaved woody plants with higher ornamental value and stronger cold tolerance for introduction from the south to the north,and to apply them to urban greening,so as to enrich the plant community structure of the landscape in the northern region.[Methods]Three species of evergreen broad-leaved woody plants,i.e.,Ligustrum lucidum,Ilex cornuta and Eriobotrya japonica,were selected as the experimental materials.The morphological performances and the changes of the physiological indexes were observed and measured during the overwintering period in the open field in Beijing.The relationship between the indexes and the low temperature was also analyzed.The strength of cold tolerance of the three species was compared.[Results]The electrical conductivity,the contents of MDA and proline were negatively correlated with the corresponding low temperature.The contents of soluble sugar and soluble protein increased with the dropping temperature,but they had little response to the short-term temperature rise.[Conclusions]Combined with morphological and physiological indexes,it was found that the changes of the contents of proline and soluble sugar among the physiological indexes were closely related to the cold tolerances of the three tree species of broad-leaved woody plants.The cold tolerance of I.cornuta was the strongest,E.japonica was the second,and that of L.lucidum was the worst.

Combined community ecology and floristics,a synthetic study on the upper montane evergreen broad-leaved forests in Yunnan,southwestern China

The upper montane evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan occurs mainly in the zone of persistent cloud and has a discontinuous,island-like,distribution.It is diverse,rich in endemic species,and likely to be sensitive to climate change.Six 1-ha sampling plots were established across the main distribution area of the upper montane evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan.All trees with d.b.h.>1 cm in each plot were identified.Patterns of seed plant distributions were quantified at the specific,generic and family levels.The forests are dominated by the families Fagaceae,Lauraceae,Theaceae and Magnoliaceae,but are very diverse with only a few species shared between sites.Floristic similarities at the family and generic level were high,but they were low at the specific level,with species complementarity between plots.Diversity varied greatly among sites,with greater species richness and more rare species in western Yunnan than central Yunnan.The flora is dominated by tropical biogeographical elements,mainly the pantropic and the tropical Asian distributions at the family and genus levels.In contrast,at the species level,the flora is dominated by the southwest or the southeast China distributions,including Yunnan endemics.This suggests that the flora of the upper montane forest in Yunnan could have a tropical floristic origin,and has adapted to cooler temperatures with the uplift of the Himalayas.Due to great sensitivity to climate,high endemism and species complementarity,as well as the discontinuous,island-like,distribution patterns of the upper montane forest in Yunnan,the regional conservation of the forest is especially needed.

Role of urban remnant evergreen broad-leaved forests on natural restoration of artificial forests in Chongqing metropolis

The effects of urban remnant natural evergreen broad-leaved forest (EBLF) on the restoration of artificial pine forests surrounding it were studied with reference to species composition,biodiversity,dominant species and stand structure on Mt. Tieshanping in Chongqing metropolis,Southwest China. The seeds from the remnant EBLF naturally facilitate the restoration process of artificial Pinus massoniana forests near it. The similarity of species composition between the artificial Pinus massoniana forests and the remnant EBLF and biodiversity index of the artificial Pinus massoniana forests decrease as the distance from the remnant EBLF increases. Castanopsis carlesii var. spinusa is the dominant species in the ground vegetation,shrub layer and sub-tree layer of the Pinus massoniana forests near the remnant EBLF. However,the natural restoration processes of those farther away from the remnant EBLF are restricted for the absence of seed source of the inherent components of the remnant EBLF,and the anthropogenic measures should be taken to facilitate the restoration process.

Comparative Study of Carbon Storage and Allocation Characteristics of Mature Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest

Evergreen broad-leaved forest is an important forest type in China.This paper analyzes the allocation characteristics of vegetation and soil carbon pool of evergreen broad-leaved forest,to understand the current status of research on the carbon storage of evergreen broadleaved forest as well as shortcomings.In the context of global climate change,it is necessary to carry out the long-term research of evergreen broad-leaved forest,in order to grasp the formation mechanism of evergreen broad-leaved forest productivity,and the impact of climate change on the carbon sequestration function of evergreen broad-leaved forest ecosystem.

The rapid climate change-caused dichotomy on subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan： Reduction in habitat diversity and increase in species diversity

Yunnan's biodiversity is under considerable pressure and subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in this area have become increasingly fragmented through agriculture,logging,planting of economic plants,mining activities and changing environment.The aims of the study are to investigate climate changeinduced changes of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in Yunnan and identify areas of current species richness centers for conservation preparation.Stacked species distribution models were created to generate ensemble forecasting of species distributions,alpha diversity and beta diversity for Yunnan's subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in both current and future climate scenarios.Under stacked species distribution models in rapid climate changes scenarios,changes of water-energy dynamics may possibly reduce beta diversity and increase alpha diversity.This point provides insight for future conservation of evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan,highlighting the need to fully consider the problem of vegetation homogenization caused by transformation of water-energy dynamics.

Change in Species Diversity during Recovering Process of Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest

Evergreen broad-leaved forestis one of the most important vegetation types in China.Because of the human activities,evergreen broad-leaved forest has been destroyed extensively,leading to degraded ecosystem.It is urgent to conserve and restore these natural forests in China. In this paper,the tendency and rate of species diversity restoration of the evergreen broad-leaved forest in Daming Mountain has been studied.The main resultsare as follows:(a)In subtropical mid-mountain area,species diversity in degraded evergreen broad-leaved forestcan be restored. Through analyzing b diversity index of communities in different time and space,it was found that the species composition of communities tend to be the same as that in the zonal evergreen broad-leaved forest.(b)The restoration rate of evergreen broad-leaved forest was very fast.Planting Chinese fir after clear-cutting and controlled burning of the forest,178 species appeared in a 600m^2 sample area after 20 years’natural recovering.Among the sespecies,58 were tree layer and the height of community reached 18m.The survey suggested that it would take only 20 years for the degraded forest to develop into community composed of lightdemanding broad-leaved pioneer trees and min-tolerance broad-leaved trees,and it need another 40~80 years to reach the stage consisting of min-tolerance evergreen broad-leaved trees.(c)Species number increased quickly at the early stage(2-20years)during vegetation recovering process toward the climax,and decreased at the min-stage (50-60 years),then maintained a relatively stable level at the late-stage (over 150 years).

Studies on Material Cycling in Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forest Ecosystem in Hangzhou: Ⅰ. Precipitation Distribution

Through the long-term plot studies on the precipitation distribution in the evergreen broad-leaved forest ecosystem in Hangzhou for two years, it was indicated that the pattern of precipitation distribution included larger amounts of penetration water and stemflow and a lower amount of interception water. The results revealed that the main factors to infulence the percentages of penetration and stemflow were the air temperature and the leaf area of the forest. The quantity of seepage through the litter layer was much larger than that through the soil layers which decreased sharply with soil depth. The output of water from the ecosystem by surface runoff and deep infiltration through the soil was much lower, only being 5.20 percent of the rainfall, while the water evapotranspiration loss was as large as more than 90 percent of it. The losses by the soil evaporation and plant evapotranspiration were the largest part of output in this forest ecosystem.

Studies on Material Cycling in Evergreen Broad-LeavedForest Ecosystem in Hangzhou: Ⅳ. Uptake, Storageand Return of S by Vegetation

The work was carried out to study the uptake, storage and return of S in the evergreen broad-leaved forestecosystem of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, China, based on the annual increments of plants and S contentsper unit weight plant organs as well as the measured data about the biological return and decomposition.Results showed that the vegetation layer had an annual S uptake of 55.02kg ha￣(-1) , which accounted for 15.8% of the total S storage in the vegetation layer. The S uptake was the highest in the arbor layer but thelowest in the shrub layer. The biological return of S was 50% higher than the biological uptake, indicatingthe relatively high cycling efficiency of S. Nevertheless, S had a relatively low rate of biological release, so thatS trended to accumulate in the litter layer. S taken up by plants each year came mostly from precipitationand the reserve of soil.

Studies on Material Cycling in Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forest Ecosystem in Hangzhou: Ⅱ . Dynamics and Decomposition Characteristics of Litter

Through the long-term plot study on the litter and its decomposition in the evergreen broad-leaved forest ecosystem in Hangzhou for more than two years,it was resulted that the annual litter production was 5.85 t ha^-1,most of which was the fallen leave (79.5 percent) and the withered branches and fruits were far less (7.1 and 13.4 percents respectively).The dynamics of the fallen litter was shown as a curve of two-peak pattern which appeared in April and September each year.The half-life of the litter was 1.59 years.The decay rate of the litter attenuted as an exponential function.The annual amount of the nutrient returned to the ground through the litter was as large as 223.69kg ha^-1.The total current amount of the litter on the ground was 7.47t ha^-1.The decay rate in the first half of a year was 45.18 percent.This ecosystem remained in the stage of litter increasing with time.

Studies on Material Cycling in Evergreen Broad-LeavedForest Ecosystem in Hangzhon: Ⅲ. S Concentrationand Its Storage in Vegetation

This paper reveals the variations of S concentration among the leaf surface and other organs of variousplant species, and presents the distribution natures of S storage in the evergreen broad-leaved forest vege-tation in Hangzhou on the basis of the tested data concerning plant S contents. The result was that theS concentrations on the tree leaf surfaces varied with the testing time and plant species. The range of Scontents in various organs of a plant was 2.086- 4.245 S g kg￣(-1), varying with plant species in this forest.The S content in the leaves was the highest, followed by that in the branches, trunks and roots, which showedthat there was an apical dominance of S distribution. The total amount of S storage in the vegetation wasas large as 349.97 S kg ha￣(-1). The S distribution in this vegetation had two characteristics as follows: 1)for the vegetation layers, arbor layer > renewal layer > herb layer > shrub layer; and 2) for the verticaldistribution per unit height (m), root stratum (0 - 0.20 m of soil depth)> stratum nearby the ground surface(0 - 0.5m) > canopy (4.0- 9.5m) > trunk stratum (2.0- 4.0m).

Carbon Reserve Characteristics of Arbor Layer in Mid-subtropical Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest

In this paper, secondary forest of Pinus massoniana , coniferous-broad-leaved mixed forest and broad-leaved evergreen forest were taken as research objects, to explore carbon reserve of arbor layer and its spatial distribution characteristics. At different succession stages, the sequence of organic carbon content in each organ was secondary forest of P. massoniana > coniferous-broad-leaved mixed forest> broad-leaved evergreen forest. Carbon reserve of arbor layer was the highest in broad-leaved evergreen forest, which was 129.34 t/hm 2, followed by coniferous-broad-leaved mixed forest (95.83 t/hm 2), and the minimum was 85.27 t/hm 2 in secondary forest of P. massoniana . In each stand type, the sequence of carbon reserve of each organ in arbor layer was trunk>root>branch>leaf>bark. Carbon reserve of arbor layer mainly concentrated in trunk, and the proportion to carbon reserve of arbor layer declined from secondary forest of P. massoniana to broad-leaved evergreen forest, while it had increasing relationship in root. In secondary forest of P. massoniana , coniferous-broad-leaved mixed forest and broad-leaved evergreen forest, individual with the diameter more than 20 cm accounted for the majority of carbon reserve in the arbor layer.

Biomass Characteristics of the Arbor Layer in Different Stands of the Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forest

In this paper, the Pinus massoniana forest in the early stage of succession, the coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest in the middle stage of succession, and the evergreen broad-leaved forest in the late stage of succession were studied, and the biomass and its spatial distribution characteristics of the tree layer in different succession stages of the ecosystem were discussed. The results showed that the biomass of the arbor layer was the highest in the evergreen broad-leaved forest, which was 292.51 t/ hm2, followed by the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, which was 206.87 t/hm2, and the Pinus massoniana forest, which was 171.76 t/hm2. The biomass of trunks accounted for the largest proportion in the total biomass of the arbor layer, which reduced from the Pinus massoniana forest to the evergreen broad-leaved forest. The proportion of the biomass of roots in the total biomass of the arbor layer increased from the Pinus massoniana forest to the evergreen broad-leaved forest. The biomass of the diameter class above 20 cm in the Pinus massoniana forest, the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest and the evergreen broad-leaved forest accounted for a large proportion of total biomass.

Forest structure,productivity and soil properties in a subtropical ever-green broad-leaved forest in Okinawa,Japan

Structure, species composition, and soil properties of a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Okinawa, Japan, were examined by establishment of plots at thirty sites. The forest was characterized by a relatively low canopy and a large number of small-diameter trees. Mean canopy height for this forest was 10 m and stands contained an average of 5400 stems-ha^-1 （ -〉 3.0 cm DBH）; 64% of those stems were smaller than 10 cm DBH. The total basal area was 54.4 m^2-ha^-1, of which Castanopsis sieboldii contributed 48%. The forest showed high species diversity of trees. 80 tree species （≥ 3.0 cm DBH） from 31 families was identified in the thirty sampling plots. C. sieboldii and Schima wallichii were the dominant and subdominant species in terms of importance value. The mean tree species diversity indices for the plots were, 3.36 for Diversity index （H＇）, 0.71 for Equitability index （J＇） and 4.72 for Species richness index （S＇）, all of which strongly declined with the increase of importance value of the dominant, C. sieboldii. Measures of soil nutrients indicated low fertility, extreme heterogeneity and possible A1 toxicity. Regression analysis showed that stem density and the dominant tree height were significantly correlated with soil pH. There was a significant positive relationship between species diversity index and soil exchangeable K^＋, Ca^2＋, and Ca^2＋/Al^3- ratio （all p values 〈0.001） and a negative relationship with N, C and P. The results suggest that soil property is a major factor influencing forest composition and structure within the subtropical forest in Okinawa.

Effect of thinning intensity on understory herbaceous diversity and biomass in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests of Changbai Mountain

Background:Herbs are an important part of the forest ecosystem,and their diversity and biomass can reflect the restoration of vegetation after forest thinning disturbances.Based on the near-mature secondary coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest in Jilin Province Forestry Experimental Zone,this study analyzed seasonal changes of species diversity and biomass of the understory herb layer after different intensities of thinning.Results:The results showed that although the composition of herbaceous species and the ranking of importance values were affected by thinning intensity,they were mainly determined by seasonal changes.Across the entire growing season,the species with the highest importance values in thinning treatments included Carex pilosa,Aegopodium alpestre,Meehania urticifolia,and Filipendula palmata,which dominated the herb layer of the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest.The number of species,Margalef index,Shannon-Wiener index and Simpson index all had their highest values in May,and gradually decreased with months.Pielou index was roughly inverted“N”throughout the growing season.Thinning did not increase the species diversity.Thinning can promote the total biomass,above-and below-ground biomass.The number of plants per unit area and coverage were related to the total biomass,above-and below-ground biomass.The average height had a significantly positive correlation with herb biomass in May but not in July.However,it exerted a significantly negative correlation with herb biomass in September.The biomass in the same month increased with increasing thinning intensity.Total herb biomass,above-and below-ground biomass showed positive correlations with Shannon-Winner index,Simpson index and Pielou evenness index in May.Conclusions:Thinning mainly changed the light environment in the forest,which would improve the plant diversity and biomass of herb layer in a short time.And different thinning intensity had different effects on the diversity of understory herb layer.The findings provide theoretical basis and reference for reasonable thinning and tending in coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests.

Effects of current climate, paleo-climate, and habitat heterogeneity in determining biogeographical patterns of evergreen broad-leaved woody plants in China

Understanding biogeographic patterns and the mechanisms underlying them has been a main issue in macroecology and biogeography, and has implications for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem sustainability. Evergreen broad-leaved woody plants(EBWPs) are important components of numerous biomes and are the main contributors to the flora south of 35°N in China. We calculated the grid cell values of species richness(SR) for a total of 6265 EBWP species in China, including its four growth-forms(i.e., tree, shrub, vine, and bamboo), and estimated their phylogenetic structure using the standardized phylogenetic diversity(SPD) and net relatedness index(NRI). Then we linked the three biogeographical patterns that were observed with each single environmental variable representing the current climate, the last glacial maximum(LGM)–present climate variability, and habitat heterogeneity, using ordinary least squares regression with a modified t-test to account for spatial autocorrelation. The partial regression method based on a general linear model was used to decompose the contributions of current and historical environmental factors to the biogeographical patterns observed. The results showed that most regions with high numbers of EBWP species and phylogenetic diversity were distributed in tropical and subtropical mountains with evergreen shrubs extending to Northeast China. Current mean annual precipitation was the best single predictor. Topographic variation and its effect on temperature variation was the best single predictor for SPD and NRI. Partial regression indicated that the current climate dominated the SR patterns of Chinese EBWPs. The effect of paleo-climate variation on SR patterns mostly overlapped with that of the current climate. In contrast, the phylogenetic structure represented by SPD and NRI was constrained by paleo-climate to much larger extents than diversity, which was reflected by the LGM–present climate variation and topog-raphy-derived habitat heterogeneity in China. Our study highlights the importance of embedding multiple dimensions of biodiversity into a temporally hierarchical framework for understanding the biogeographical patterns, and provides important baseline information for predicting shifts in plant diversity under climate change.

九种常绿阔叶植物叶片解剖构造的研究

以9种常绿阔叶植物叶片为试材,采用人工低温处理测定其叶片相对含水量和相对电导率,并观测越冬前后叶片的微观解剖构造,通过变异系数、相关分析从8项叶片结构指标中筛选具有代表性的指标进行隶属函数分析和抗寒性综合评价,以期为北方树种的选育提供参考依据。结果表明:在低温胁迫下,叶片的相对电导率整体表现为升高趋势、相对含水量整体表现为下降趋势。下表皮、栅栏组织较厚的叶片抗寒性较强,栅海比值和组织结构紧密度越大的植物受低温影响越小。越冬前后,阔叶植物的抗寒排序差异较大,较抗寒的树种有大叶女贞、红叶石楠、广玉兰等。

福建大嵛山岛常绿阔叶林木本植物优势种的生态位和种间联结

采用典型样地调查法对福建大嵛山岛常绿阔叶林木本植物进行群落调查,采用Levins指数、Shannon-Wiener指数、Pianka指数、Schoener指数对木本植物优势种(重要值大于1.5%)的生态位宽度、生态位重叠、生态位相似性进行分析,并采用方差比率、χ^(2)检验、种间联结系数、Jaccard指数分析联结性特征。结果显示:在福建大嵛山岛常绿阔叶林木本植物中筛选出16个优势种,其中,樟(Camphora officinarum Nees)的重要值和生态位宽度最大。木本植物优势种的120个种对中,Pianka指数和Schoener指数在[0.0,0.5)范围内的种对分别有78和91对,占总种对数的65.0%和75.8%,表明多数种对生态位重叠程度和生态位相似性较低,即优势种分布相对独立,种间关系较稳定。优势种间的方差比率为2.37,统计量为37.89,表明总体联结性为显著正联结。χ^(2)检验结果显示:75个种对呈正联结,41个种对呈负联结,4个种对无联结。联结系数分析结果显示:79个种对呈正联结,42个种对呈负联结。80个种对的Jaccard指数在[0.43,1.00]范围内,表明多数种对的联结性较强。回归分析结果显示:联结系数和Jaccard指数与Pianka指数和Schoener指数均在0.001水平上显著正相关。综上所述,福建大嵛山岛常绿阔叶林木本植物优势种间的生态位重叠程度和生态位相似性较低,多数种对呈正联结,且联结性较强;目前大嵛山岛常绿阔叶林接近群落演替发展的中后期阶段,物种组成和群落结构较为稳定。

紫茎泽兰在云南亚热带常绿阔叶林中的入侵格局和生境分析

【目的】调查云南亚热带常绿阔叶林中紫茎泽兰Eupatorium adenophorum的个体生长情况和种群分布规律,分析其与各环境因子之间的相关关系和显著性,为保护森林物种多样性和防止外来入侵种的繁殖扩散提供科学建议和理论依据。【方法】以云南亚热带次生常绿阔叶林为研究对象,沿林缘随机挑选9个紫茎泽兰种群集中分布区域作为起点,垂直进入森林内部,以10 m为间隔等距离定点调查样方,分别调查紫茎泽兰植株外部形态指标和环境因子。【结果】株高、丰富度、单株最多绿色叶片数、单叶最大面积、单位面积生物量、存在度和重要值在林缘0~10 m的范围内达到最大值,且随着进入森林内部距离的增加而逐渐降低或减少,呈衰减指数模型分布;在距林缘超过60 m的森林内部很少有紫茎泽兰植株出现。土壤温度、光照强度、空气温湿度和林冠郁闭度均能明显控制紫茎泽兰种群的分布和生长。土壤温度、光照强度和空气温度与紫茎泽兰种群外部形态指标呈正相关关系;空气湿度和林冠郁闭度则与其呈负相关关系。【结论】由森林分布斑块化和物种生境碎片化产生的大面积林缘区域给紫茎泽兰种群的入侵和繁殖提供了理想栖息地,而森林内部相对较低的土壤和空气温度、较弱的光照强度、较高的空气湿度和林冠郁闭度则明显抑制了紫茎泽兰种群的入侵和生长。

雅鲁藏布大峡谷植物叶片碳氮磷化学计量特征

为了解雅鲁藏布大峡谷区域植物的生态适应性及N、P养分利用特征,该研究在墨脱不同森林植被区选取6个采样点,对每个采样点优势植物进行了植物叶片C、N、P化学计量特征分析。结果表明,研究区植物叶片碳含量均值为452 g kg^(-1),在不同采样点之间差异未达到显著水平,其余指标在部分采样点之间则存在一定的差异;从生活型看,研究区木本植物叶片碳含量要高于草本植物,氮含量差异不显著,磷含量则低于草本植物;在不同采样点之间木本植物叶片碳氮磷含量差异不显著,木本植物碳氮差异也不显著,但草本植物部分采样点之间磷差异达到显著水平;相关性分析显示,植物叶片C与N、C与P相关性均不显著,但N、P相关性达到极显著水平;墨脱常绿阔叶林区植物叶片C含量略低于我国南方其它常绿阔叶林区植物叶片碳含量,氮含量略高于其他区域,但P含量显著高于其他区域的植物叶片P含量,因此C/N,C/P及N/P均较低,N/P的均值为11.4。本研究结果支持植物叶片氮磷在不同生境中均存在明显正相关关系,结合生长速率假说,墨脱常绿阔叶林区的植物生长速率可能远高于我国其他常绿阔叶林区,因此研究区森林生态系统的碳汇以及面对全球N沉降背景下的响应值得进一步研究。