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Topographical habitat variability of dominant species populations in a warm temperate forest.

LIU Hai-feng1,2, SANG Wei-guo2, XUE Da-yuan1**   

  1. (1College of Life and Environmental Science, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China; 2State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China)
  • Online:2013-04-10 Published:2013-04-10

Abstract: Topography is an important factor affecting the distribution pattern of plant population and maintaining plant community diversity. Taking  two dominant species populations (Quercus wutaishanica and Juglans mandshurica) in a 20hm2 warm temperate deciduous broadleaved forest dynamic monitoring plot in Dongling Mountain of China as the objects, this paper studied the topographical habitat variability of the same species populations at different growth stages and of the different species populations at the same growth stages. Q. wutaishanica population mainly distributed at the large slope, southern aspect, western aspect, more convex, and high altitude locations, and the adult trees preferred the concave terrain, as compared with the saplings. J. mandshurica population concentrated in the steep slope, northern aspect, eastern aspect, more concave, and low altitude locations, and the adult trees preferred the southern aspect, eastern aspect, and more concave positions, as compared with the saplings. No significant differences were observed in the topographic factors for the saplings and the adults in each species (P>0.05), i.e., the topographical distribution features of the saplings and adults in each species were the same. The altitude factors for the adults of the two species were significantly different (P<0.05), and for the saplings, besides altitude factors, northsouth aspects also showed a significant difference (P<0.05). The topographical selection of the same species populations at different growth stages showed the limitations and conservatism of the species topographic habitats, and the topographical selection of the different species populations at the same growth stages showed the spatial distribution patterns and biodiversity maintenances between the species. This study could have significance in understanding the species coexistence and biodiversity maintenance in warm temperate forest.

Key words: carbon biosequestration, proliferation reefs, Laizhou Bay., Ostrea plicatula