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Vascular plant species richness along environmental gradients in a cool temperate to sub-alpine mountainous zone in central Japan

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Abstract

In order to clarify how vegetation types change along the environmental gradients in a cool temperate to sub-alpine mountainous zone and the determinant factors that define plant species richness, we established 360 plots (each 4 × 10 m) within which the vegetation type, species richness, elevation, topographic position index (TPI), slope inclination, and ground light index (GLI) of the natural vegetation were surveyed. Mean elevation, TPI, slope inclination, and GLI differed across vegetation types. Tree species richness was negatively correlated with elevation, whereas fern and herb species richness were positively correlated. Tree species richness was greater in the upper slope area than the lower slope area, whereas fern and herb species richness were greater in the lower slope area. Ferns and trees species richness were smaller in the open canopy, whereas herb species richness was greater in the open canopy. Vegetation types were determined firstly by elevation and secondary by topographic configurations, such as topographic position, and slope inclination. Elevation and topography were the most important factors affecting plant richness, but the most influential variables differed among plant life-form groups. Moreover, the species richness responses to these environmental gradients greatly differed among ferns, herbs, and trees.

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Abbreviations

AIC:

Akaike’s information criterion

TPI:

Topographic position index

GLI:

Ground light index

GAM:

Generalized additive model

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Acknowledgments

We were permitted to conduct a series of field researches by Koakazawa settlement, Uenohara settlement, Sakaemura village office and Department of Hoku-Shin Forestry Office. We would like to thank Drs. A. Imamura, D. Kawase, R. Koda, and Mr/Ms. K. Nakura, S. Sakaguchi, J. Takahashi, N. Tsujimura who helped our field studies. We are also grateful to Prof. T. Yahara of Kyushu University for showing us transect survey. Members at Hist-Chubu working group of research project D-02 of Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) offered me helpful suggestions and comments. We were financially assisted by research project D-02 and “Survivability and Autonomy in Southeast Asia: Perspectives from Land Use Changes and Resource Chains” of RIHN and the Environmental Research and Technology Development Fund (S9) of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.

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  1. Riyou Tsujino & Takakazu Yumoto

    Present address: Primate Research Institute Kyoto University, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, 457-4 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8047, Japan

    Riyou Tsujino & Takakazu Yumoto

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  1. Riyou Tsujino
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  2. Takakazu Yumoto
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Correspondence to Riyou Tsujino.

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Nomenclature: Yonekura and Kajita (2003).

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Tsujino, R., Yumoto, T. Vascular plant species richness along environmental gradients in a cool temperate to sub-alpine mountainous zone in central Japan. J Plant Res 126, 203–214 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-012-0520-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-012-0520-8

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