Abstract. Hernandez JO, Ata JP, Combalicer MS. 2022. Long-term changes in floristic diversity, composition and stand structure in Acacia auriculiformis plantation in Mount Makiling Forest Reserve, Philippines. Biodiversitas 23: 3631-3638. There have been continuous debates about whether exotic tree plantation facilitates vegetation succession. In the Philippines, the potential for the re-establishment of native plant communities and improvement of the plant community structure under exotic tree plantations has not yet been evaluated adequately. Thus, the study investigated the dynamics in floristic diversity, composition and stand structure of a reforested area using Acacia auriculiformis Benth. in Sitio Kay Inglesia, Mount Makiling Forest Reserve (MMFR), Philippines. The changes in basal area, stem density, biomass growth, species diversity, species evenness and richness, and canopy closure were determined between two study periods, i.e., 1993-2008 and 2009-2019. Results revealed significant changes in stem density (i.e., 1324 to 2135 trees ha-1) and canopy closure (i.e., 18% to 10%) for mature trees and seedlings/saplings in 2009-2019. The changes in basal area and aboveground biomass were not significant between the two study periods. The species richness was significantly higher in 2009-2019 (i.e., 55 species) than in 1993-2008 (i.e., 22 species). The species diversity also significantly increased from low (i.e., H' = 1.99, S = 23) to moderate (i.e., H' = 2.88, S = 55). Moreover, the number of exotics decreased (i.e., 60 to 40% or 15 to 9 species) as the number of native ones increased (i.e., 27 to 72% or 15 to 40 species). Therefore, the findings of the present study show that re-establishment of native species is possible when restoring degraded land with A. auriculiformis plantation. However, monitoring studies on other key ecosystem attributes (e.g., ecosystem functionality, external exchanges, structural diversity) of the plantation are recommended to enhance our understanding of the species' potential for restoration.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.