Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Saplings distribution in relation to topography and canopy openness in an evergreen broad-leaved forest

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We examined the spatial distribution of saplings in relation to topography and stand structure in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Japan. The distributions of most species were influenced mainly by topography but also by canopy openness. Species were arranged along a topographical gradient from concave areas with low canopy openness to convex areas with high canopy openness. Canopy species were arranged along a gradient from unstable fertile areas to stable infertile areas. Species occurring mostly in convex areas had a narrower distribution range than those in concave sites. Thus, habitat heterogeneity provided by topography and stand structure appears to be important factors for maintaining high species diversity in the understory of this subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Refferences

  • Aber J.D. 1979. Foliage-height profiles and succession in Northern hardwood forest. Ecology 60: 18–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown M.J. and Parker G.C. 1994. Canopy light transmittance in a chronosequence of mixed-species deciduous forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 24: 1694–1703.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brubaker S.C., Jones A.J., Lewis D.T. and Frank K. 1993. Soil properties associated with landscape positions and management. Soil Science Society of America Journal 57: 235–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark D.B., Clark D.A., Rich P.M., Weiss S. and Oberbauer S.F. 1996. Landscape-scale analysis of forest structure and understory light environments in a neotropical lowland rain forest. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 26: 747–757.

    Google Scholar 

  • Condit R., Ashton P.S., Baker P., Bunyavejchewin S., Gunatilleke S., Gunatilleke N., Hubbell, S.P., Foster R.B., Itoh A., LaFrankie J.B., Lee H.S., Losos E., Manokaran N., Sukumar R. and Yamakura T. 2000. Spatial patterns in distribution of tropical tree species. Science 288: 1414–1418.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dai F.C., Lee C.F., Li J. and Xu Z. W. 2001. Assessment of landslide susceptibility on the natural terrain of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Environmental Geology 40: 381–391.

    Google Scholar 

  • Denslow J.S. and Guzman G.S. 2000. Variation in stand structure, light and seedling abundance across a tropical moist forest chronosequence, Panama. Journal of Vegetation Science 11: 201– 212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enoki T. 2003. Micro-topography and distribution of canopy trees in a subtropical evergreen broad leaved forest in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Japan. Ecological Research 18: 103–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enoki T., Kawaguhi H., and Iwatsubo G. 1997. Nutrient-uptake and nutrient-use efficiency of Pinus thunbergii Parl. along a topographical gradient of soil nutrient availability. Ecological Research 12: 191–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster J.R. 1988. Disturbance history, community organization and vegetation dynamics of old-growth Pisgah Forest, southwestern New Hampshire, USA. Journal of Ecology 76: 105–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gale N. 2000. The relationship between canopy gaps and topography in a western Ecuadorian rain forest. Biotropica 32: 653–661.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gessler P.E., Chadwick O.A., Chamran F., Althouse L. and Holmes K. 2000. Modeling soil-landscape and ecosystem properties using terrain attributes. Soil Science Society of America Journal 64: 2046–2056.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirose T. and Bazzaz F.A. 1998. Trade-off between light-and nitrogen-use efficiency in canopy photosynthesis. Annals of Botany 82: 195–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter J.C. and Parker V.T. 1993. The disturbance regime of an old-growth forest in coastal California. Journal of Vegetation Science 4: 19–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masaki T., Suzuki W., Niiyama N,. Iida S., Tanaka H. and Nakashizuka T. 1992. Community structure of species-rich temperate forest, Ogawa Forest Reserve, central Japan. Vegetation 98: 97–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nanami S., Kawaguchi H. and Yamakura T. 1999. Dioecy-induced spatial patterns of two codominant tree species, Podocarpus nagi and Neolitsea aciculata. Journal of Ecology 87: 678–687.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicotra A.B., Chazdon R.L. and Iriatre V.B. 1999. Spatial heterogeneity of light and woody seedling regeneration in tropical wet forests. Ecology 80: 1908–1926.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oberbauer S.F., Clark D.B., Clark D.A., Quesada M. 1988. Crown light environments of saplings of two species of rain forest emergent trees. Oecologia 75: 207–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pielou E.C. 1966. The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. Journal of Theoretical Biology 13: 131–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plotkin J.B., Potts M.D., Leslie N., Manokaran N., LaFrankie J. and Ashton P.S. 2000. Species-area Curves, spatial aggregation, and habitat specialization in tropical forests. Journal of Theoretical Biology 207: 81–99.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schimel D., Stillwell M.A. and Woodmansee R.G. 1985. Biogeochemistry of C, N, and P in a soil catena of the shortgrass steppe. Ecology 66: 276–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinzato T., Taba K., Hirata E. and Yamamori N. 1986. Regeneration of Castanopsis sieboldii forest. 1 Studies on stratification and age structure of a natural stand. Research Reports of Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus. 33: 245–256. (In Japanese with English summary)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sunakawa S. and Yamaomori N. 1964. Stand composition of mature broad-leaved trees. Research Reports of Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus. 11: 83–101. (in Japanese with English summary)

    Google Scholar 

  • Svenning J. 1999. Microhabitat specialization in a species-rich palm community in Amazonian Ecuador. Journal of Ecology 87: 55–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takyu M., Aiba S. and Kitayama K. 2002. Effects of topography on tropical lower montane forests under different geological conditions on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Plant Ecology 159: 35–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang Y., Kachi N., Furukawa A. and Awang M.B. 1999. Hetrogeneity of light availbaility and its effects on simulated carbon gain of tree leaves in a small gap and the understory in a tropical rain forest. Biotropica 31: 268–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • ter Steege H. 1994. HEMIPHOT, a programme to analyze vegetation indices, light and light quality from hemispherical photographs. The Tropenbos Foundation, Wageningen, Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilman D. 1988. Plant strategies and structure and dynamics of plant communities. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuomist H., Ruokolainen K., Kalliola R., Linna A., Danjoy W. and Rodriguez Z. 1995. Dissecting Amazonian biodiversity. Science 269: 63–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Pelt R. and Franklin J. 1999. Response of understory trees to experimental gaps in old-growth Douglas-fir forests. Ecological Applications 9: 504–512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamada T., Itoh A., Kanzaki M., Yamakura T., Suzuki E. and Ashton P.S. 2000. Local and geographical distributions for a tropical tree genus, Scaphium (Sterculiaceae) in the Far East. Plant Ecology 148: 23–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamakura T., Kanzaki M., Itoh A., Ohkubo T., Ogino K., Chai E.O.K., Lee H.S. and Ashton P.S. 1995. Topography of largescale research plot established within a tropical rain forest at Lambir, Sarawak. Tropics 5: 41–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zak D.R., Hairston A. and Grigal D.F. 1991. Topographic influences on nitrogen cycling within an upland pin oak ecosystem. Forest Science 37: 45–53.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Subtropical Field Science Center, University of the Ryukyus, 685 Yona, Kunigami, Okinawa, 905-1427, Japan

    T. Enoki

  2. Okinawa Commemorative National Government Park, 424 Ishikawa, Motobu, Okinawa, 905-0206, Japan

    A. Abe

Authors
  1. T. Enoki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Abe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Enoki, T., Abe, A. Saplings distribution in relation to topography and canopy openness in an evergreen broad-leaved forest. Plant Ecology 173, 283–291 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:VEGE.0000029336.80225.f0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:VEGE.0000029336.80225.f0

Search

Navigation