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cje ›› 2003, Vol. ›› Issue (3): 59-64,69.

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Effects of plant pathogens on forest dynamics

FU Xianhui, CAO Min, TANG Yong   

  1. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
  • Received:2001-11-05 Revised:2002-01-21 Online:2003-03-10

Abstract: As a component and regulator in forest ecosystem, plant pathogens play an important role in forest dynamics. Infection by plant pathogens often results in increased mortality of seedlings and adult plants, and in lower fecundity or sterility, and influences the competition for nutrients, which can induce changes in community structure and number of species and individuals. Plant pathogens can infect the seeds of pre-dispersal and post-dispersal, and those in soil seed banks and seedlings germinated from seed bank, thus decrease their survival rate, contributing to pattern of the seeds dispersal, regeneration and recruitment of the seedlings in forest. In natural forest, pioneer tree species are more susceptible to plant pathogens than climax species. Plant community in early succession stage is susceptible to plant pathogens compared to climax community. Plant pathogens have been found to operate mainly in a host density dependent manner in forest dynamics. So it is important to study the effects of the pathogens in forest dynamics for the purpose of sustainable forest management.

Key words: Chinese alligator, Water environment, Heavy metals content, pH

CLC Number: