This study was conducted to investigate composition of understory vegetation and indicator species by altitude and slope azimuth in Mt. Gyebang designated as Protected Area for Forest Genetic Resource Conservation and National Park. Tracheophytes were 350 taxa; 80 families, 203 genera, 303 species, 38 varieties, 5 forma and 4 sub-species in research area. The species of greatest importance value were Tripterygium regelii (9.143%), Acer pseudosieboldianum (7.594%), Symplocos chinensis for. pilosa (6.347%) in the shrub layer and were Sasa borealis (8.653%), Isodon excisus (2.936%) and Carex siderosticta (2.897%). In the herb layer as a result of NMS analysis, the distribution range of the major species were found to be affected by the altitude (shrub layer: R 2 > 0.3, herb layer: R 2 > 0.6). The result of plexus diagram analysis showed that Acer pseudosieboldianum was associated with Magnolia sieboldii, Acer barbinerve, Euonymus oxyphyllus etc. in the shrub layer; Meehania urticifolia was associated with Aconitum jaluense, Veratrum oxysepalum, Prunus padus etc. in the herb layer. The significant indicator species were analyzed for 60 species by the altitude and investigated for 30 species in accordance with the slope azimuth. As a consequence of MRPP, interspecies composition along the altitude group was heterogeneous and the species composition according to the azimuth slope was extremely different between the NE and SW.
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