Density dependence and habitat preference shape seedling survival in a subtropical forest in central China

Lu, Junmeng; Johnson, Daniel J.; Qiao, Xiujuan; Lu, Zhijun; Wang, Qinggang; Jiang, Mingxi

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtv006

Cited by 24 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Contrary to some observations showing limited effects of abiotic factors on seedling survival (Lu et al., ; Shibata et al., ; Wang et al., ), abiotic factors such as high soil moisture, pH, soil total carbon, and soil total nitrogen were all positively associated with seedling survival in the spruce‐fir valley forest, northeastern China. The possible reasons would be that seedlings have shallow roots and therefore limited access to resources, and should benefit from high moisture, pH, carbon, and nitrogen in the soil (Engelbrecht, Kursar, & Tyree, ; Lin et al., ).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 91%

“…Focal seedlings would have a low survival when surrounded by conspecific tree neighbors, due to increased competition for resources and sharing of common pests and pathogens (Gilbert & Webb, ; Liu et al., ; Novotny et al., ). On the other hand, conspecific tree neighbors could also be positively associated with seedling survival (Lebrija‐Trejos, Wright, Hernández, & Reich, ; Lu et al., ; Zhu et al., ), possibly through habitat affinities. These different effects of phylogenetic neighbors reflect the variation of phylogenetic niche conservatism with site conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, species performance is habitat‐specific, indicating that niche partitioning plays an important role in maintaining species coexistence (Metz, ; Zhang, Mi, Shao, & Ma, ; Zhu, Mi, Ren, & Ma, ). An increasing number of studies have shown that NDD and niche partitioning are not mutually exclusive but rather foster the coexistence of species simultaneously (Bai et al., ; Chen et al., ; Lu et al., ; Queenborough, Burslem, Garwood, & Valencia, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of local biotic neighbors and habitat heterogeneity on seedling survival in a spruce‐fir valley forest, northeastern China

Zhu

Jin

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Seedlings are vulnerable to many biotic and abiotic agents, and studying seedling dynamics helps understand mechanisms of species coexistence. In this study, the relative importance of biotic neighbors and habitat heterogeneity to seedling survival was examined by generalized linear mixed models for 33 species in a spruce‐fir valley forest in northeastern China. The results showed that the relative importance of these factors varied with species and functional groups. Conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) was important to the survival of Abies nephrolepis and Picea koraiensis seedling, whereas phylogenetic negative density dependence (PNDD) was critical to Pinus koraiensis and Betula platyphylla, as well as functional groups of tree, deciduous, and shade‐intolerant seedlings. For shrubs and Acer ukurunduense, habitat heterogeneity was significant. Despite of the significance of CNDD, PNDD, and habitat heterogeneity on seedling survival, large proportions of the total variance were not accounted for by the studied variables, suggesting the needs to examine the influences of other factors such as pests, diseases, herbivores, forest structure, species functional traits, and microclimatic conditions on seedling survival in the future.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of local biotic neighbors and habitat heterogeneity on seedling survival in a spruce‐fir valley forest, northeastern China

Zhu

Jin

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Our result is similar to that of a recent study in a subtropical forest of China in which seedlings were shown to respond differently to conspecific or phylogenetically similar neighbours depending on leaf phenology (Lu et al. ). Deciduous species take up and invest more resources into traits associated with growth and may invest less in defence compounds, making seedlings vulnerable to damage from natural enemies (Villar et al.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…; Lu et al. ), there has been little research into tree survival at multiple spatial scales in temperate forests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation of the biotic neighbourhood and topographic effects on tree survival in an old‐growth temperate forest

Zhu

Cai

Jiang

et al. 2017

J Vegetation Science

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Aims Tree mortality can determine forest dynamics and succession, alter nutrient cycling and contribute to tree species co‐existence. Understanding the mechanisms that maintain species diversity is a central goal of community ecology. In this study, we incorporated survival data from a 10‐yr interval census to determine whether there is significant interspecies variation in the effects of biotic neighbourhood variables and whether there is significant spatial variation in the effects of topographic variables on tree survival in a broadleaved‐Korean pine temperate forest. Location Temperate forest, northeast China. Methods We used GLMM and geographically weighted GLM as well as their corresponding test approaches to determine whether there is significant interspecies variation in the effects of biotic neighbourhood variables over variable neighbourhood radii and whether there is significant spatial variation in the effects of topographic variables on tree survival across multiple spatial scales in an old‐growth temperate forest dynamics plot in northeast China. Results Our results showed that the effects of neighbourhood variables on tree survival varied among species and effects of topography varied over space. However, the results depended on the neighbourhood radius and spatial scale. The neighbourhood radius affected detection of variation in neighbourhood effects among species, and the spatial scale similarly affected detection of spatial variation in the effects of topography. The effect of conspecific neighbour density on survival varied more widely among species than that of the average phylogenetic dissimilarity of heterospecific neighbours, regardless of the neighbourhood radius. Moreover, the effect of elevation varied more widely over space than those of convexity and hill shade at any quadrat scale. Conclusions Our findings highlight that future studies should account for variations in the neighbourhood radius among species and/or circumstances as well as the spatial scale when assessing factors that contribute to species co‐existence in long‐lived organisms. Species leaf phenology, shade and drought tolerance and environmental filtering may explain these variations in the effects of neighbourhood and topographic variables on tree survival. Overall, our results indicate that both density dependence and resource niche partitioning are important mechanisms for maintaining biodiversity in this broad‐leaved Korean pine temperate forest.

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Phylogenetic indices and temporal and spatial scales shape the neighborhood effect on seedling survival in a mid‐mountain moist evergreen broad‐leaved forest, Gaoligong Mountains, Southwestern China

Wang,

Wu,

Chai

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Density dependence and habitat filtering have been proposed to aid in understanding community assembly and species coexistence. Phylogenetic relatedness between neighbors was used as a proxy for assessing the degree of ecological similarity among species. There are different conclusions regarding the neighborhood effect in previous studies with different phylogenetic indices or at different spatiotemporal scales. However, the effects of density dependence, neighbor phylogenetic relatedness, and habitat filtering on seedling survival with different phylogenetic indices or at different temporal and spatial scales are poorly understood. We monitored 916 seedlings representing 56 woody plant species within a 4‐ha forest dynamics plot for 4 years (from 2020 to 2023) in a subtropical mid‐mountain moist evergreen broad‐leaved forest in the Gaoligong Mountains, Southwestern China. Using generalized linear mixed models, we tested whether and how four phylogenetic indices: total phylogenetic distance (TOTPd), average phylogenetic distance (AVEPd), relative average phylogenetic distance (APd′), and relative nearest taxon phylogenetic distance (NTPd′), three temporals (1, 2, and 3 years), and spatial scales (1, 2, and 4 ha) affect the effect of density dependence, phylogenetic density dependence, and habitat filtering on seedling survival. We found evidence of the effect of phylogenetic density dependence in the 4‐ha forest dynamics plot. The effects of density dependence, phylogenetic density dependence, and habitat filtering on seedling survival were influenced by phylogenetic indices and temporal and spatial scales. The effects of phylogenetic density dependence and habitat filtering on seedling survival were more conspicuous only at 1‐year intervals, compared with those at 2‐ and 3‐year intervals. We did not detect any effects of neighborhood or habitat factors on seedling survival at small scales (1 and 2 ha), although these effects were more evident at the largest spatial scale (4 ha). These findings highlight that the effects of local neighborhoods and habitats on seedling survival are affected by phylogenetic indices as well as temporal and spatial scales. Our study suggested that phylogenetic index APd′, shortest time scale (1 year), and largest spatial scales (4 ha) were suitable for neighborhood studies in a mid‐mountain moist evergreen broad‐leaved forest in Gaoligong Mountains. Phylogenetic indices and spatiotemporal scales have important impacts on the results of the neighborhood studies.

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Density dependence and habitat preference shape seedling survival in a subtropical forest in central China

Cited by 24 publications

References 59 publications

Effects of local biotic neighbors and habitat heterogeneity on seedling survival in a spruce‐fir valley forest, northeastern China

Effects of local biotic neighbors and habitat heterogeneity on seedling survival in a spruce‐fir valley forest, northeastern China

Variation of the biotic neighbourhood and topographic effects on tree survival in an old‐growth temperate forest

Phylogenetic indices and temporal and spatial scales shape the neighborhood effect on seedling survival in a mid‐mountain moist evergreen broad‐leaved forest, Gaoligong Mountains, Southwestern China

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