Effects of Topographical and Edaphic Factors on Tree Community Structure and Diversity of Subtropical Mountain Forests in the Lower Lancang River Basin

Changshun, Zhang; Li, Xiaoying; Chen, Long; Xie, Gaogang; Liu, Chunlan; Pei, Sha

doi:10.3390/f7100222

Cited by 42 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…For instance, Cui and Zheng (2016) and Homeier et al (2010) observed significantly higher tree species diversity at lower slope position in comparison with upper slope sites. However, a study by Zhang et al (2016) in mountain forest in China showed such relationships nonsignificant. These outcomes suggest that the effects of slope on taxonomic diversity may partly depend on other factors such as the scale of the study and the magnitude of the slope gradient.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Differential Responses of Taxonomic, Structural, and Functional Diversity to Local-Scale Environmental Variation in Afromontane Forests in South Africa

Mensah

Salako

Assogbadjo

et al. 2018

Tropical Conservation Science

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Exploring taxonomic, functional, and structural diversity can provide additional insights into our understanding of diversity responses to environment. Using altitude, slope, and relative radiation index as well as floristic and functional data from a South Africa Afromontane forest, we examined how taxonomic, structural, and functional diversity varied with local environmental variation. Taxonomic and structural diversity were quantified through species richness-and diameter class-based Shannon index and evenness, respectively. Skewness and coefficient of variation of diameter distribution were additionally computed for structural diversity. As for functional diversity, we used functional richness, evenness, divergence, and dispersion based on functional traits. Data were analyzed using multimodel inference and subset regression. We found little evidence of environmental effects on local-scale taxonomic diversity patterns. In contrast, structural and functional diversity metrics varied significantly along environmental gradients. Accordingly, diameter class-based Shannon evenness declined with increasing slope while skewness and coefficient of variation of diameter distribution increased with increasing slope. Functional evenness and divergence decreased with increasing altitude and radiation, respectively, while functional richness and dispersion increased with increasing slope. The results showed that taxonomic diversity patterns were less responsive to local-scale topographical variation than structural and functional diversity. Lower functional diversity on lower slope sites suggests weak environmental filtering effect promoting competitive exclusion and dominance of species with acquisitive traits. On higher slope sites, environmental filtering associated with slope gradient seems to favor coexistence of species with conservative traits and adapted to harsh conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Differential Responses of Taxonomic, Structural, and Functional Diversity to Local-Scale Environmental Variation in Afromontane Forests in South Africa

Mensah

Salako

Assogbadjo

et al. 2018

Tropical Conservation Science

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“…At larger scales, climatic conditions may influence an organism's life cycle and performance, whereas, at smaller scales, local environmental variation in edaphic or topographic factors (elevation, aspect, slope, etc. ), resources availability, and species competitive abilities would likely codetermine species structural and dominance patterns (Mensah, Salako, Assogbadjo, & Gle`le`Kakaı¨, 2018;Zhang, Chen, Liu, & Pei, 2016). For example, environmental factors such as soil physical properties and slope were pointed out as potential drivers of vegetation structure and distribution (Gonc¸alves, Filho, Vendrame, & Telles, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterospecific Tree Density and Environmental Factors Affect Afzelia africana Sm. Population Structure in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, West Africa: Implications for Management and Restoration

Atanasso

Mensah

Azihou

et al. 2019

Tropical Conservation Science

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Information on how abiotic and biotic factors affect species population structures and regeneration are critical for understanding plant growth in natural habitats. Here, we used the data from three spatially distinct populations of Afzelia africana Sm. in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Benin, to determine how the species population structures respond to abiotic and biotic factors. Afzelia africana population structures were studied using several parameters including basal area, tree height, density of successive diameter classes, and size class slope. We tested for individual effects of abiotic (mound density, soil type, and terrain slope) and biotic (heterospecific tree density) factors on the species population structure. We also tested for similarity of species composition among studied A. africana population stands. Results revealed a tree density structure with mature individuals, and size class distribution indicating a recruitment bottleneck at the juvenile stage (10-20 cm diameter), possibly due to mammal browsing, natural and artificial fires. Heterospecific tree density was positively associated with A. africana adult density but negatively related to the species growth parameters (mean diameter, basal area, and tree height). These results indicate some degrees of niche overlap between A. africana and coexisting species but also partly reflect A. africana tolerance and adaptation to limited resources environment. Soil type significantly influenced both basal area and regeneration density, greater values being observed on silt-sand-rocky soils. Basal area was higher on steeper slope, probably a result of species conservative strategies. These findings were discussed in line with management and restoration action needs in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve.

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“…Understanding the edaphic and topographic influence on forest development is essential for rational management of forest and soil. Studies relating forest development to soil conditions are common for native forests (Zhang et al, 2016;Mendonça et al, 2017;Oberhuber, 2017;Soboleski et al, 2017 ), showing the strict relationship between soil, relief, and forest, and highlighting the importance of studying these relationships at the landscape scale. However, in commercial forests, these relations are not clear, especially in rugged terrain where relationships between the landscape, soil, and plants are more complex.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Edaphic and Topographic Factors and their Relationship with Dendrometric Variation of Pinus Taeda L. in a High Altitude Subtropical Climate

Horst¹,

Dalmolin²,

Caten

et al. 2018

Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Solo

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The study of the relationships between the yield potential of forest stands and the conditions offered for plant development is fundamental for the adequate management of the forest when aiming at sustainable high yields. However, these relations are not clear, especially in commercial forests, on rugged terrain where relationships between the landscape, soil, and plants are more complex. Considering this, we tested the hypothesis that the morphological aspects of the soil conditioned by topography are the main limiting factors for tree development. Our objective was to evaluate the edaphic and topographic influence on the dendrometric variation of Pinus taeda L. of a forest stand in a subtropical climate at high altitude. For that, Spearman's correlation analysis and canonical correspondence were performed on two data datasets containing pedological, topographic, and dendrometric information of a commercial plantation of Pinus taeda, in the Campo Belo do Sul, Santa Catarina state, Brazil. Soil sampling and characterization was performed in two distinct designs. The first design was based on the morphological description of 11 soil profiles. The second was performed with intensive prospecting of the area, with 102 sampling locations determined through conditioned Latin hypercube sampling. For each sampling point, the height and diameter of the four nearest trees were measured and the terrain attributes were calculated from the digital elevation model. The solum depth, the thickness of the superficial horizon, elevation, and vertical distance to channel network were the main conditioning factors of the dendrometric variation, wherein taller trees were found in deeper soils, with a thicker surface horizon, in lower areas that are vertically closer to the drainage network. Our results showed that the selection of topographic and morphological variables has a significant effect on the tree height and should therefore be used to select homogeneous areas for the development of the species. In addition, we showed the importance of using an intensive sampling survey to understand dendrometric variation.

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Effects of Topographical and Edaphic Factors on Tree Community Structure and Diversity of Subtropical Mountain Forests in the Lower Lancang River Basin

Cited by 42 publications

References 44 publications

Differential Responses of Taxonomic, Structural, and Functional Diversity to Local-Scale Environmental Variation in Afromontane Forests in South Africa

Differential Responses of Taxonomic, Structural, and Functional Diversity to Local-Scale Environmental Variation in Afromontane Forests in South Africa

Heterospecific Tree Density and Environmental Factors Affect Afzelia africana Sm. Population Structure in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, West Africa: Implications for Management and Restoration

Edaphic and Topographic Factors and their Relationship with Dendrometric Variation of Pinus Taeda L. in a High Altitude Subtropical Climate

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