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Stand structure and woody species diversity in relation to stand stratification in a subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest, Okinawa Island

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Abstract

Stand structure and woody species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest grown in a silicate habitat, Okinawa Island, have been investigated on the basis of stand stratification. The forest stand consisted of four layers. The floristic composition of the top and the lower three layers was only slightly similar, although approximately one-third of the species were common to them. Mean tree weight decreased from the top toward the bottom layer whereas tree density increased from the top downward. This trend resembled the mean weight–density trajectory of self-thinning plant populations. The relationship between mean tree height and tree density for the upper two layers supported Yamakura’s quasi −1/2 power law of tree height. The values of the Shannon–Wiener index, H′, and the equitability index, J′, tended to increase from the top layer downward except for the bottom layer. The values of H′ and J′ were, respectively, 4.83 bit and 0.82 for trees taller than 0.10 m. The lower layers contained many species of smaller height. High species diversity of the forest depended on small trees in the lower layers. Conservation of small trees in the lower layers, especially the bottom layer, is indispensable for sound maintenance of Okinawan evergreen broadleaf forests.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to our colleagues, Drs L. Alhamd and M.N.I. Khan, and Messrs B. Tanaka, R. Suwa, K. Nakamura, and P. Wane, for their cooperation and active participation in the field work. Special thanks go to Mrs J. Ferdousi for her assistance and active participation in the field throughout the work. Thanks also go to Professor T. Shinzato and Dr T. Enoki, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, for their valuable suggestions. This study was financed in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No.16201009) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and by the 21st Century COE program of the University of the Ryukyus.

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  1. Laboratory of Ecology and Systematics, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan

    S. M. Feroz, A. Hagihara & M. Yokota

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  1. S. M. Feroz
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  2. A. Hagihara
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  3. M. Yokota
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Correspondence to A. Hagihara.

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Feroz, S.M., Hagihara, A. & Yokota, M. Stand structure and woody species diversity in relation to stand stratification in a subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest, Okinawa Island. J Plant Res 119, 293–301 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-006-0270-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-006-0270-6

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