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Mixed–species, multi–cohort stand development patterns in a species–rich subtropical forest from southeastern China
Paper ID : 1062-ADA2013
Authors:
Qi-Bin Zhang *1, Pei Xing2, Patrick Baker3
120 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Haidian District Beijing, 100093
2Institute of Botany. Chinese Academy of Sciences
3School of Biological Sciences, Monash University
Abstract:
Changes in forest stands over time are driven by the interaction between internal factors, such as the life history traits of the component species, and external factors, such as climate and disturbances. Knowledge of tree-ring growth in species-rich subtropical forest is valuable for understanding history of stand development. Here we conducted a dendroecological study in a subtropical evergreen mixed forest in at the Gutianshan (Mt. Gutian) National Nature Reserve in Zhejiang Province, southeastern China. Our aims are to identify the recruitment patterns of the four species under study and to investigate if the early growth patterns of trees are predictable from their initial condition of recruitment. We collected increment cores from trees in the vicinity of a 24–ha long–term forest dynamics plot. Tree species under study are those known to have reliably annual growth rings: Pinus massoniana Lamb. (Pinaceae), Schima superba Gardn. et Champ. (Theaceae), Cunninghamia lanceolata (Taxodiaceae), and Quercus serrata (Fagaceae). These species differ in relative abundance within the forest. Tree-ring widths were measured and cross-dated to ensure that each ring was assigned to the correct calendar year. The results showed that two distinct recruitments occurred in the intervals 1890–1915 and 1970–1985 over the past 150 years and there was a large variability in recruitment dates within species for the first age cohort and significant species-specific differences in the second cohort. The mixed–effects modeling of early growth trajectory in trees indicated that age and species were the most important predictors of early growth in the studied trees, suggesting the importance of biology of the tree species in stand development. This study provides a template for future studies in subtropical forests and demonstrates the potential of using dendroecological method and mixed-effects model for study of forest dynamics.
Keywords:
Subtropical forests; tree rings; growth dynamics; age class; mixed–effects model
Status : Abstract Accepted