Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Relationships among Topographically-driven Habitats, Dominant Species and Vertical Layers in Temperate Forest in China

  • Published:
Russian Journal of Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The relationships among topography, topographically-driven habitats, dominant species and vertical layers in forest ecosystem are often complicate. In this study, based on the five 1 ha forest dynamics plots in China, we examined these relationships in different communities of temperate forest in China through structural equation model and torus-translation test. Our results showed that (1) the dominant species is an important factor that affects the forest vertical layers; (2) interspecific competition is prevalent between dominant species and canopy layer; (3) the species in each vertical layer have varying topographical habitat preferences. These findings shed new light to the species coexistence among forest vertical layers in temperate 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

References

  1. Namkoong, G., Forest genetics: Pattern and complexity, Can. J. Forest Res., 2001, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 623–632.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Homyack, J.A., Harrison, D.J., and Krohn, W.B., Structural differences between precommercially thinned and unthinned conifer stands, Forest Ecol. Manag., 2004, vol. 194, no. 1, pp. 131–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Haidari, M., Namiranian, M., Gahramani, L., Zobeiri, M., and Shabanian, N., Study of vertical and horizontal forest structure in Northern Zagros Forest (Case study: West of Iran, Oak forest), Eur. J. Exp. Biol., 2013, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 268–278.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Kooijman, A.M. and Cammeraat, E., Biological control of beech and hornbeam affects species richness via changes in the organic layer, pH and soil moisture characteristics, Funct. Ecol., 2010, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 469–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Whitehurst, A.S., Swatantran, A., Blair, J.B., Hofton, M.A., and Dubayah, R., Characterization of canopy layering in forested ecosystems using full waveform Lidar, Remote Sensing, 2013, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 2014–2036.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Thomaes, A., De Keersmaeker, L., De Schrijver, A., Baeten, L., Vandekerkhove, K., Verstraeten, G., and Verheyen, K., Can soil acidity and light help to explain tree species effects on forest herb layer performance in post-agricultural forests?, Plant Soil, 2013, vol. 373, nos. 1–2, pp. 183–199.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Taverna, K., Peet, R.K., and Phillips, L.C., Long-term change in ground-layer vegetation of deciduous forests of the North Carolina Piedmont, USA, J. Ecol., 2005, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 202–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Emery, S.M. and Gross, K.L., Dominant species identity regulates invasibility of old-field plant communities, Oikos, 2006, vol. 115, no. 3, pp. 549–558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gilbert, B., Turkington, R., and Srivastava, D.S., Dominant species and diversity: Linking relative abundance to controls of species establishment, Am. Nat., 2009, vol. 174, no. 6, pp. 850–862.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Ellison, A.M., Bank, M.S., Clinton, B.D., Colburn, E.A., Elliott, K., Ford, C.R., and Webster, J.R., Loss of foundation species: Consequences for the structure and dynamics of forested ecosystems, Front. Ecol. Environ., 2005, vol. 3, no. 9, pp. 479–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Wulf, M. and Naaf, T., Herb layer response to broadleaf tree species with different leaf litter quality and canopy structure in temperate forests, J. Veg. Sci., 2009, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 517–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Csergő, A.M., Demeter, L., and Turkington, R., Declining diversity in abandoned grasslands of the Carpathian Mountains: Do dominant species matter?, PLoS One, 2013, vol. 8, no. 8, e73533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Wang, M., Wan, P., Chai, Y., Guo, Y., Zhang, X., and Yue, M., Adaptative strategy of leaf traits to drought conditions: Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata forest (The Qinling Mts., China), Pol. J. Ecol., 2015, vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 77–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Zhong, M., Wang, J., Liu, K., Wu, R., Liu, Y., Wei, X., and Shao, X., Leaf morphology shift of three dominant species along altitudinal gradient in an alpine meadow of the Quinghai â Tibetan Plateau, Pol. J. Ecol., 2014, vol. 62, no. 4, pp. 639–648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Jia, H.R., Chen, Y., Yuan, Z.L., Ye, Y.Z., and Huang, Q.C., Effects of environmental and spatial heterogeneity on tree community assembly in Baotianman National Nature Reserve, Henan, China, Pol. J. Ecol., 2015, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 175–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Lai, J., Mi, X., Ren, H., and Ma, K., Species-habitat associations change in a subtropical forest of China, J. Veg. Sci., 2009, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 415–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Grace, J.B., Structural Equation Modeling and Natural Systems, Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  18. Capmourteres, V. and Anand, M., Assessing ecological integrity: A multi-scale structural and functional approach using Structural Equation Modeling, Ecol. Indic., 2016, vol. 71, pp. 258–269.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Xing, K., Kang, M., Chen, H.Y., Zhao, M., Wang, Y., Wang, G., and Dong, X., Determinants of the N content of Quercus wutaishanica leaves in the Loess Plateau: A structural equation modeling approach, Sci. Rep., 2016, vol. 6, Article no. 26845.

  20. Yamada, T., Tomita, A., Itoh, A., Yamakura, T., Ohkubo, T., Kanzaki, M., and Ashton, P.S., Habitat associations of Sterculiaceae trees in a Bornean rain forest plot, J. Veg. Sci., 2006, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 559–566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Comita, L.S., Condit, R., and Hubbell, S.P., Developmental changes in habitat associations of tropical trees, J. Ecol., 2007, vol. 95, no. 3, pp. 482–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Harms, K.E., Condit, R., Hubbell, S.P., and Foster, R.B., Habitat associations of trees and shrubs in a 50-ha neotropical forest plot, J. Ecol., 2001, vol. 89, no. 6, pp. 947–959.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Valencia, R., Foster, R.B., Villa, G., Condit, R., Svenning, J.C., Hernández, C., and Balslev, H., Tree species distributions and local habitat variation in the Amazon: Large forest plot in eastern Ecuador, J. Ecol., 2004, vol. 92, no. 2, pp. 214–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. De’Ath, G., Multivariate regression trees: A new technique for modeling species-environment relationships, Ecology, 2002, vol. 83, pp. 1105–1117.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Editorial Committee of Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (CAS), Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae, Beijing: Science Press, 1959–2004.

  26. Rothstein, D.E. and Zak, D.R., Photosynthetic adaptation and acclimation to exploit seasonal periods of direct irradiance in three temperate deciduous-forest herbs, Funct. Ecol., 2001, vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 722–731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Zhang, L., Mi, X., Shao, H., and Ma, K., Strong plant-soil associations in a heterogeneous subtropical broad-leaved forest, Plant Soil, 2011, vol. 347, nos. 1–2, pp. 211–220.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Barbier, S., Gosselin, F., and Balandier, P., Influence of tree species on understory vegetation diversity and mechanisms involved: A critical review for temperate and boreal forests, Forest Ecol. Manag., 2008, vol. 254, no. 1, pp. 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Yuan, Z., Gazol, A., Wang, X., Xing, D., Lin, F., Bai, X., and Hao, Z., What happens below the canopy? Direct and indirect influences of the dominant species on forest vertical layers, Oikos, 2012, vol. 121, no. 7, pp. 1145–1153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Kaneko, S., Abe, T., and Isagi, Y., Complete genotyping in conservation genetics. A case study of a critically endangered shrub, Stachyurus macrocarpus var. prunifolius (Stachyuraceae) in the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, J. Plant Res., 2013, vol. 126, no. 5, pp. 635–642.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Beltrán, E., Valiente-Banuet, A., and Verdu, M., Trait divergence and indirect interactions allow facilitation of congeneric species, Ann. Bot., 2012, vol. 110, no. 7, pp. 1369–1376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Clark, D.B., Palmer, M.W., and Clark, D.A., Edaphic factors and the landscape-scale distributions of tropical rain forest trees, Ecology, 1999, vol. 80, no. 8, pp. 2662–2675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Chen, Y., Jia, H.R., Niu, S., Zhang, X., Wang, H.L., Ye, Y.Z., Chen, Q.S., and Yuan, Z.L., Effects of topographical heterogeneity and dispersal limitation on species turnover in a temperate mountane ecosystem: A case study in the Henan Province, China, Russ. J. Ecol., 2018, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 40–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Popov, P.P., Population structure in European and Siberian spruces according to their phenotypes, Russ. J. Ecol., 2017, vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 403–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Chen, Y., Niu, S., Li, P., Jia, H., Wang, H., Ye, Y., and Yuan, Z., Stand structure and substrate diversity as two major drivers for bryophyte distribution in a temperate montane ecosystem, Front. Plant Sci., 2017, vol. 8, Article 874. doi https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.00874

  36. Koran, M. and Kropil, R., What are ecological guilds? Dilemma of guild concepts, Russ. J. Ecol., 2014, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 445–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Chen, Y., Yuan, Z., Li, P., Cao, R., Jia, H., and Ye, Y., Effects of environment and space on species turnover of woody plants across multiple forest dynamic plots in East Asia, Front. Plant Sci., 2016, vol. 7, 1533. doi https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01533

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henan Finance University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China

    H. R. Jia

  2. Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China

    Y. Chen, X. Y. Wang, P. K. Li, Z. L. Yuan & Y. Z. Ye

Authors
  1. H. R. Jia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Y. Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. X. Y. Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P. K. Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Z. L. Yuan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Y. Z. Ye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Y. Z. Ye.

Additional information

The article is published in the original.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jia, H.R., Chen, Y., Wang, X.Y. et al. The Relationships among Topographically-driven Habitats, Dominant Species and Vertical Layers in Temperate Forest in China. Russ J Ecol 50, 172–186 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413619020061

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413619020061

Keywords

Search

Navigation