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Spatial pattern analysis and associations of different growth stages of populations of Abies georgei var. smithii in Southeast Tibet, China

  • Mountain Environment
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Abstract

Abies georgei var. smithii is an important plant species in Southeast Tibet, China. It has high ecological value in terms of biodiversity protection, as well as soil and water conservation. We analyzed the spatial pattern and associations of A. georgei var. smithii populations at different growth stages by using Ripley’s L function for point pattern analysis. The diameter structure was a nearly reverse ‘J’ shape. The amount of saplings and medium-sized trees accounts for a large part of the entire population, suggesting a high regeneration rate and an expanding population. In the transition from saplings to medium trees or to large trees, saplings show a significant aggregation distribution at small scales, while medium trees and large trees show a random distribution. There are significant inverse associations between saplings and medium trees and large trees at small scales, while there are no obvious associations between medium trees and large trees. The natural regeneration was affected by interspecific competition, and it was also affected by intraspecific competition. The joint effects of biological characteristics and environmental factors contribute to the spatial distribution pattern and associations of this A. georgei var. smithii population.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the National Key Technology Support Program (2013BAC04B01). Thanks to all those who provided helpful suggestions and critical comments on the manuscript. We also thank GAO San, WU Jing-jing, YU Xiao-ya for providing a critical revision of English. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural and Animal Husbandry College of Tibet University, Nyingchi, 860000, China

    Zhi-qiang Shen, Jie Lu & Jiang-ping Fang

  2. Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079, China

    Min Hua

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  1. Zhi-qiang Shen
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  2. Jie Lu
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Correspondence to Jie Lu.

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6767-0282

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https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3460-7540

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Shen, Zq., Lu, J., Hua, M. et al. Spatial pattern analysis and associations of different growth stages of populations of Abies georgei var. smithii in Southeast Tibet, China. J. Mt. Sci. 13, 2170–2181 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-016-3849-y

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