Spatial distribution patterns of Symplocos congeners in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaf forest of southern China

Abstract

Studies on spatial distribution of congeneric species can supplement our understanding of species ecological processes. We analyzed population structure, spatial distribution, intra-and interspecific associations among six Symplocos tree species on a large (50 ha) plot in a subtropical, evergreen broad-leaf forest in southern China using spatial point pattern analysis methods. Our results suggested that the six Symplocos tree species were all clustered at small scales. The aggregation intensity of S. wikstroemiifolia with low abundance but relatively numerous large-diameter trees was much higher than that of the other five Symplocos species that occurred at high abundance but included few large-diameter trees. Spatial associations among the six congeners showed that 12 of 30 pairs were associated positively at small scales, and 13 of 30 pairs were unrelated. For species among different size classes, 79 of 120 pairs were not correlated, and 17 of 120 pairs were associated positively. These results showed insufficient evidence for interspecific competition and congeneric Symplocos species commonly coexist within subtropical plant communities. The spatial patterns of Symplocos species and their correlations changed with size (DBH) class and were simultaneously affected by spatial scales; the intensity of their aggregation and association decreased with increasing area of the sample plot.

Spatial Patterns in Different Stages of Regeneration after Clear-Cutting of a Black Locust Forest in Central China

“…To explore spatial relationships between SR and stumps, bivariate spatial pattern analyses were performed using g 12 (r): g 12 (r) = K 12 (r)/2πr. The interpretation of the parameters is similar to that of the univariate g(r), which was used in many studies of spatial pattern [19,26,29,58].…”

“…Nevertheless, understanding the underlying biological process from the observed pattern remains a challenge [25,26] because the observed pattern has been modified by combinations of various past events over a long period and at various spatial scales, especially in forests [19,25]. Most tree species in forests worldwide are spatially aggregated at different scales and the spatial patterns of trees change with the developmental stage of the forest, particularly in natural forests not heavily disturbed by humans [23,[27][28][29]. Several studies have focused on the spatial patterns of trees according to forest development stage [30][31][32], some studies manifested that radial growth of trees and tree growth model was affected significantly by tree spatial position relative to skidding trails in conifer forest after different cutting methods [33,34].…”

Spatial point-pattern analysis as a powerful tool in identifying pattern-process relationships in plant ecology: an updated review

“…Different growth rhythms of species may lead to interspecific repulsion (Comas et al 2009). Ledo et al (2011) reported that repulsion should be encountered between the young plants of two co-occurring species if they have dissimilar modes of seed dispersal, while Yang et al (2018) pointed out that repulsion may occur between species which have similar strategies for resource use. Moreover, Fig.…”

“…Most studies conducted SPPA in permanent plots (Wiegand et al 2007a;Bilek et al 2011;Zhao et al 2015) or constitute an opportunity for the creation of such plots (Velázquez et al 2014;Li et al 2017;Carrer et al 2018;Yang et al 2018;Zhang et al 2018). Permanent plots are typically large (generally 1 ha and can reach 50 ha) and have the advantage of being continuously monitored.…”

Disentangling the effects of species interactions and environmental factors on the spatial pattern and coexistence of two congenericPinusspecies in a transitional climatic zone

“…Many congeners coexist in most biodiverse tropical forest communities and low‐biodiversity temperate forest communities (Tanaka et al, 2008 ; Yamada et al, 2005 ; Zhang et al, 2010 ). However, some studies have found that the competition between congeneric species is not strong (Li et al, 2014 ; Sedio et al, 2012 ; Yang et al, 2018 ), and raising, the question could be how can similar congenerics coexist?…”