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Plant diversity of secondary forests in response to anthropogenic disturbance levels in montane regions of northeastern China

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Journal of Forest Research

Abstract

The effects of anthropogenic disturbances on forest structure and plant diversity of secondary forest ecosystems were evaluated based on the classification by site factors in the montane regions of northeastern China. Forty-five sample plots containing 720 sub-plots of overstory species (8 m × 8 m), 1,440 quadrats of understory species (2 m × 2 m), and 1,440 quadrats of herbaceous layer species (1 m × 1 m) were clustered into five groups (G1, G2, G3, G4 and G5) by site variables with Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. Meanwhile, the disturbance levels corresponding to the five groups were determined according to the factors influencing human disturbances (D0-G2, D1-G1, D2-G3, D3-G5, and D4-G4). Species diversities of overstory, understory, herbaceous layer and overall species were evaluated using species number, Margalef index, Pielou index, Shannon–Wiener index, and Simpson index; and β-diversities (Whittaker index, Cody index). Basal area of stands exhibited a decreasing trend along the disturbance level due to a gradual increase in the extraction of timber by the human disturbances. The indices of species diversity suggested that overstory and understory species were distributed evenly among the groups or disturbance levels. There were no absolutely dominant tree species in the secondary forest ecosystems. The differences in site factors and the current disturbance intensities were not intense enough to lead to loose changes in overstory and understory species. The species diversity indices exhibited the maximum values at D3 (G5) for herbaceous layer species; this may suggest that the current disturbance intensities were intense enough to lead the changes of herbaceous layer species. Three rare and endangered species (Juglans mandshurica, Fraxinus mandshurica and Acanthopanax senticosus) were found within the secondary forests. These rare and endangered species appeared in each clustered group or disturbance level, which suggested that the current disturbance intensity in the study area was not strong enough to influence the distribution of rare and endangered species. The current disturbances in the secondary forests may not lead to a decrease in stability and complexity of the overstory and understory species, but the higher disturbance level may be intense enough to change the habitat fitness for the herbaceous species.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the 100-young-researcher-project of Chinese Academy of Sciences and National Nature Scientific Foundation Projects of China (30371149, 30671669). We would like to acknowledge the anonymous referees and the editors for their valuable criticisms and detail revisions concerned to this manuscript. Thanks are due to Professor Li Jiyun and Dr. Cao Wei from Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences for their help in identifying the herb species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Qingyuan Experimental Station of Forest Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Jiaojun Zhu, Zhihong Mao, Lile Hu & Jinxin Zhang

  2. Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 110039, China

    Zhihong Mao & Lile Hu

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  1. Jiaojun Zhu
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  2. Zhihong Mao
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  3. Lile Hu
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  4. Jinxin Zhang
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Correspondence to Jiaojun Zhu.

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Zhu, J., Mao, Z., Hu, L. et al. Plant diversity of secondary forests in response to anthropogenic disturbance levels in montane regions of northeastern China. J For Res 12, 403–416 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-007-0033-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-007-0033-9

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