Structural characteristics and niches of dominant tree populations in Tetracentron sinense communities: implications for conservation
Abstract
Background: Tetracentron sinense Oliv., is an endangered, broad-leaved tree distributed in south-central China. Structural characteristics of the community and dominant tree population niches in T. sinense communities are currently unclear.
Questions: (1) What is the status of T. sinense populations in the community? (2) What are the interspecies interactions between T. sinense populations and its associated species.
Study sites and dates: T. sinense communities in Meigu Dafengding Nature Reserve in southwest China in 2014.
Methods: Six sites of 400 m2 were studied for importance value, special diversity, niche breadth, and overlap of dominant tree populations.
Results: There were 80 species, 67 genera, and 41 families of vascular plants. Sixty-one genera of seed plants in T. sinense communities were classified into 9 types. The North Temperate genus was the largest, accounting for 44.26 %. Species richness, species diversity, and evenness indexes were all low. There were 6 dominant tree populations in T. sinense communities, and the importance values and niche breadths of T. sinense populations were significantly higher than other species. Horizontal niche overlaps between T. sinense and Pterocarya stenoptera, Acer pictum subsp. mono, and Cercidiphyllum japonicum were high; the vertical niche overlaps between T. sinense and these species were all greater than 0.7.
Conclusions: T. sinense communities have North Temperate character, and are immature and unstable communities, still in the early stage of succession. T. sinense is the edificator tree in the communities. A high similarity of habitat demand and strong interspecific competition for light exist between T. sinense and its associated trees.
Downloads
References
Aplet GH, Vitosek PM. 1994. An age-altitude matrix analysis of Hawaiian Rain-forest succession. Journal of Ecology, 82 (1):137-147.
Bengtsson J, Fagerstrom T, Rydin H. 1994. Competition and coexistence in plant communities. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 9: 246-250.
Cao LL, Gan XH, and He S. 2012. Effect of different geographical provenances and matrix on seed germination and seeding initial growth of Tetracentron Sinense. Guihaia 32:656-662.
Chen B, Zhou XM. 1995. Niche breadth and overlap analysis of several plant species in three Artemisia communities. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 19(2): 158-169.
Chen ZL, Kang HJ, Liu P, et al. 2007. Structure features of Emmenoptery henryi community in Dapan Mountain Nature Reserve. Acta Botanica Yunnanica, 2007, 29(4): 461-466.
Cindy Q, Peng MC, He LY et al. 2013. Population persistence of a Tertiary relict tree Tetracentron sinese on the Ailao Mountains, Yunnan, China. Journal of Plant Research 126: 651-659.
Colwell RK, Futuyma DJ. 1971. On the measurement of niche breadth and overlap. Ecology, 52(4): 567-576.
Fan HB. Structure features of Castanopsis kawakamii community. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 2000, 36(2):6 -12.
Fu DZ and Bartholomew B. 2001. Tetracentron in Wu ZY and Raven P H. Flora of China, 6: 125. Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing.
Fu LG. 1992. Plant red book in China-rare and endangered plants (Book I). Beijing. China Science Press, Beijing, 452–453, 682–683.
Gan XH, Cao LL, Zhang X et al. 2013. Floral biology, breeding system and pollination ecology of an endangered tree Tetracentron sinense Oliv (Trochodendraceae). Botanical Studies 54: 50.
Gan XH, Xie D, Cao LL. 2012. Sporogenesis and development of gametophytes in an endangered plant, Tetracentron sinense Oliv. Biological Research 45: 393-398.
Grinnell J .The niche-relationship of the California Thrsher. Auk, 1917, 34 :427-433.
Han HY, Xu N, Li S, et al. 2015. The effect of low temperature during imbibition on Germination characteristics of Tetracentron sinense seeds. Plant Diversity and Resources, 37(5): 586-594.
Hurlbert SH. 1978. The measurement of niche overlap and some relatives. Ecology, 59 (1):67-77.
Leibold, MA. 1995. The niche concept revisited mechanistic models and community context. Ecology, 76 (5):1371-1382.
Levins R. 1968. Evolution in changing environments. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 120.
Li HC, Gan XH, Zhang ZP, et al. 2015. Effects of altitudes and the DBH of seed trees on biological characteristics of Tetracentron sinense (Tetracentraceae) seeds. Plant Diversity and Resources, 37(2): 177-183.
Li R, Zhang KB, Yang XH, et al. 2006. Niche of plants of artificial closed area in desertification grassland. Soil and water conservation research, 13(2): 213-216,252.
Li S, Gan XH, Han HY, et al. 2016. Phenotypic diversity in natural populations of an endangered plant Tetracentron sinense Oliv. Forest Research, 29(5): 687-697.
Loreau M, Naeem S, Inchausti P, et al. 2001. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: Current knowledge and future challenges. Science, 294: 804-808.
Luo JD, Gan XH, Jia XJ et al. 2010. Biological characteristic of seeds of endangered plant Tetracentron sinense (Tetracentraceae). Acta Botanica Yunnanica 32:204-210.
Magurran AE. Ecological diversity and its measurement. Princeton University Press, Princeton: New Jersey, 1988.
Peng SL. South subtropical forest community dynamics. 1996. Beijing: China Science Press.
Pielou EC. An Introduction to Mathematical Ecology. 1969. NewYork: Wiley Interscience.
Qu Z X, Wu Y S, Wang H X, et al. 1984. Plant Ecology. Beijing: Higher Education Press.
Shannon CE, Weaver W. 1949. The mathematical theory of communication. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 117.
Sun RY, Li QF, Niu CJ, et al. 2002. Basic Ecology (1st edition). Beijing: Higher Education Press, 141 -147.
Sun YX, Moore MJ, Yue LL et al. 2014. Chloroplast phylogeography of the East Asian Arcto-Tertiary relict Tetracentron sinense (Trochodendraceae). Journal of Biogeography 41:1721-1732.
Wang XF, Guo QS, Bahar Guli, et al. 2008. Niche of dominant arbor populations in Thuja sutchuenensis Community. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 44(4): 6-13.
Weider LJ. 1993. Niche breadth and life history variation in a hybrid Daphnia complex. Ecology, 74(4):935-943.
Wu ZY. 1991. Distribution region type of genera of seed plants in China. Acta Botanica Yunnanica (supplement IV): 1-139.
Zhang JT. Mathematical ecology. 2004. Beijing: Sciences Press, 243 -266.
Zhang RG, Cheng KW, Li JQ, et al. 2005. Biodiversity conservation and restoration in natural forest. Beijing: Chinese science and technology Press, 213 -214.
Zhang ZX , Liu P, Liu CS, et al. 2008. The structure characteristics and dominant population regeneration types of Tsuga tchekiangensis communities in the Jiulongshan National Natural Reserve of Zhejiang Province. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 28(9): 4547-4558.
Zhao YH , Lei RD, He XY, et al. 2004. Niche characteristics of plant population in Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata stands in Qinling Mountain. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 15(60):913-918 .
Zhou YX. 2007. Light Requirement Characteristics for the Germination of Tetracention sinense Oliv Seeds. Journal of Central South Forestry University 27:54-57.
Copyright (c) 2018 Botanical Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.