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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2017, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (2): 367-374.doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201702.025

• Special Features for 2016 Annual Meeting of Ecological Society of China •     Next Articles

Canopy vertical structure and understory plant regeneration of an evergreen broadleaved forest in Damingshan, Guangxi, China.

ZHOU Xiao-guo1, WEN Yuan-guang1, 2, 3*, ZHU Hong-guang1, 2, 3, WANG Lei1, LI Xiao-qiong1, 2   

  1. 1Breeding Base of Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China;
    2State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China;
    3Guangxi Youyiguan Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Pingxiang 532600, China.

  • Received:2016-07-06 Online:2017-02-18 Published:2017-02-18
  • Contact: * E-mail: wenyg@263.net
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31460121, 39460022, 30860059), and the Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education (YCBZ2014008).

Abstract: In order to reveal the dynamics of canopy vertical structure and its effects on understory regeneration, we built 24 permanent plots (20 m×20 m) on the upslope, midslopeand downslope, respectively, in a typical evergreen broadleaved forest in Damingshan, Guangxi, China. We measured the crown area of each tree with diameter at breast height (DBH)≥1.0 cm, and surveyed the understory regeneration in growing season from 2009 to 2011. The results showed that the total canopy cover significantly increased from 54.0% in 2009 to 67.4% in 2011 after the frozen disaster in 2008. A significant difference existed in the cover and increment of different canopy layers. The canopy cover in the upper layers was markedly higher than that in the middle and lower layers. The increment of canopy coverage in the middle and lower layers was significantly higher than that in the upper layer. There were 55 regenerated woody plant species, and the dominant families and species of regenerated plants were in accord with those in the evergreen broadleaved forest. Biodiversity index of regenerated plants in the same slope position was significantly different among different years, and no significant difference was observed among different slope positions in the same year. The correlation between the coverage at different canopy layers and the species richness and abundance of regenerated plants was not significant. Total canopy cover and canopy coverage at the middle and lower layers were significantly negatively correlated with the Shannon index, Simpson index, and Pielou evenness index of the understory regenerated plants. It indicated that canopy coverage had a significant influence on the regeneration of understory, and the middle and lower layers had a stronger influence on the biodiversity of regenerated plants.