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Structure and diversity of remnant natural evergreen broad-leaved forests at three sites affected by urbanization in Chongqing metropolis, Southwest China

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Abstract

Evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs, lucidophyllous forests) are vegetation types characteristic of East Asia. The extent of EBLFs has decreased significantly due to long-term anthropogenic disturbance, and remnant EBLFs in urban area are rare and important landscape types contributing to biodiversity and sustainable development. This study focuses on remnant EBLFs on Mt. Gele (GL), Mt. Tieshanping (TSP), and Mt. Jinyun (JY), located from the inner city to outskirts of Chongqing metropolis, Southwest China. Species of Theaceae, Lauraceae, Symplocaceae, and other families, which are essential floristic components of primary EBLFs, were still the main components at the three sites. GL and JY showed higher biodiversity, with richer heliophytes and shade-tolerant species, respectively. Castanopsis carlesii var. spinulosa was the sole dominant species at all three sites in woody layer, with codomination by Pinus massoniana and Cinnamomum camphora at GL and by Machilus pingii and Castanopsis fargesii at JY; these evergreen broad-leaved trees all showed inverse-J or sporadic-shaped size distribution with large numbers of small stems, but the conifer tree Pinus massoniana showed unimodal distribution with small stems at GL. The height growth of tree species, especially Castanopsis carlesii var. spinulosa, was increasingly restricted from JY to TSP to GL. Sprouting is an important life history strategy at community and population level, and differences were exhibited from GL to TSP to JY. A rural–urban gradient from JY to TSP to GL was indicated in this study. Species composition, biodiversity, and stand structure of these remnant EBLFs showed obvious differences along this gradient, and conservation responses to address the effects of urbanization need to be carefully considered.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Prof. Martin Willison of Dalhousie University, Canada, for helpful advice on how to improve the paper. This study was partly supported by Fundamental Research Funds of the Central Universities (CDJZR10210002) from Chongqing University, Natural Science Foundation Project of CQ CSTC (CSTC, 2008BB7187), subsidy from the Pro Natural Fund of Japan for 2007, and the research project for sustainable development of economic and social structure dependent on the environment of the eastern coast of Asia from Tokyo University of Information. The study complies with the current laws of the People’s Republic of China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Lab of Three Gorges Reservoir Region’s Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education)/Faculty of Urban Construction and Environmental Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China

    Yongchuan Yang & Baizhan Li

  2. Graduate School of Landscape Design and Management, University of Hyogo/Awaji Landscape Planning and Horticulture Academy, 954-2 Nojimatokiwa, Awaji, Hyogo, 656-1726, Japan

    Michiro Fujihara

  3. College of Resources and Environment Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China

    Xingzhong Yuan

  4. Department of Environmental Information, Tokyo University of Information Sciences, 4-1 Onaridai, Wakaba-ku, Chiba, 260-8501, Japan

    Keitarou Hara & Mizuki Tomita

  5. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Liangjun Da

  6. Graduate School of Informatics, Tokyo University of Information Sciences, 4-1 Onaridai, Wakaba-ku, Chiba, 260-8501, Japan

    Yi Zhao

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  1. Yongchuan Yang
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Correspondence to Yongchuan Yang.

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Yang, Y., Fujihara, M., Li, B. et al. Structure and diversity of remnant natural evergreen broad-leaved forests at three sites affected by urbanization in Chongqing metropolis, Southwest China. Landscape Ecol Eng 10, 137–149 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-011-0160-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-011-0160-5

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