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Species Composition

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Ecological Succession on Fallowed Shifting Cultivation Fields

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Ecology ((BRIEFSECOLOGY))

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Abstract

Chapter 4 reviews research on species composition: how vegetation shifts from grasses to trees in different successional stages. It is generally accepted that a transition from grasses to herbs to shrubs to woody species is common, despite the fact that time of recovery may vary in different places. Also, it is usually suggested that with a shorter fallow, tree growth would be hindered, and the land might not be able to reach a tree fallow. We also discuss what different researches have found regarding the relationship between soil depletion and the reduction of tree species as fallow duration shortens. Whether the changes in species composition are predictable is one of the major questions regarding secondary forest succession. Two influential models have been proposed to predict floristic change: the ‘relay floristics’ model and the ‘initial floristic composition’ model. However, our review concludes that new approaches are needed to explain the great variability of species composition among sites, as neither the ‘reductionist’ nor the ‘holistic’ approaches seem to be able to fully predict and explain the regeneration pathway of species composition along the successional trajectory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Baptist University Road 15, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR

    Claudio O. Delang

  2. Flat 13, 24/Floor, Fai Shing House, May Shing Court, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR

    Wing Man Li

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  1. Claudio O. Delang
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  2. Wing Man Li
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Correspondence to Claudio O. Delang .

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Delang, C.O., Li, W.M. (2013). Species Composition. In: Ecological Succession on Fallowed Shifting Cultivation Fields. SpringerBriefs in Ecology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5821-6_4

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