Diversity depends on scale in the forests of the Central Highlands of Vietnam

Thanh, Ha Thi Kim; Grant, John C.; Bon, Trinh Ngoc; Zimmer, Heidi C.; Nichols, J. Doland

doi:10.1016/j.japb.2017.08.008

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…In the lowland area, with the communities SCt and SCb, species richness was highest (Figs 4, 5, Table 3). In contrast, other studies found negative effects of human disturbance on species diversity; humans extract certain tree species with subsequent effects on species composition (Blanc et al 2000;Do et al 2017). Chazdon (2003), however, concluded that forest recovery could be rapid even after large-scale human disturbances when soil and aboveground vegetation were not heavily impacted.…”

Section: Topographic Heterogeneity Drives the Spatial Distribution Of...mentioning

confidence: 94%

Plant species diversity and composition in limestone forests of the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

Pham¹,

Ammer²,

Annighöfer³

et al. 2022

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Plant species diversity and composition play crucial roles in many ecosystem services and are largely influenced by environmental conditions, as well as natural and/or anthropogenic disturbances. However, our knowledge of the drivers of plant species diversity and composition in the limestone forests of Vietnam, a hotspot of biodiversity, is limited. To fill this knowledge gap, we surveyed plant species in the Cat Ba National Park (CBNP), located on a limestone archipelago. We hypothesised that: (1) topography, accessibility and spatial isolation drive the diversity and composition of plant communities in the CBNP and that (2) isolated areas contribute to high floristic regional diversity by supporting unique species assemblages. We expected high tree species diversity within the tropical limestone forests of the CBNP, but also that: (3) the abundance of non-tree species negatively affects tree regeneration diversity and abundance. Data were obtained from 90 random sample plots (500 m2) and 450 sub-sample plots (25 m2) in three areas of the CBNP. We differentiated four different plant species communities and found a total of 302 species belonging to 112 families. Tree species contributed 50% to total species richness. The distribution of different plant communities in the CBNP was driven mainly by topography; that is, the percentage of rock surface and slope and concomitant differences in soil depth. Contrary to our expectations, isolated areas did not contribute greatly to the CBNP’s plant species diversity. It seems that isolated areas and, as in our case, rough topography, may act as natural barriers to seed dispersal, creating an environmental filter for tree species. Across the CBNP, there was no effect of non-tree species on tree species regeneration, but regeneration patterns differed between communities. In species-rich communities growing under favourable site conditions (e.g. low rock surface and slope), greater coverage by non-tree species had an increasingly negative effect on tree species richness and abundance in the regeneration layer. The opposite was observed in communities growing under harsh site conditions. We conclude that plant species diversity in the CBNP is high, particularly in easily accessible lowland areas where tree species contribute greatly to biodiversity. However, here, non-tree species can even restrict tree regeneration.

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Section: Topographic Heterogeneity Drives the Spatial Distribution Of...mentioning

confidence: 94%

Plant species diversity and composition in limestone forests of the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

Pham¹,

Ammer²,

Annighöfer³

et al. 2022

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“…We found a total of nine IUCN Red List tree species. Based on an inventory in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, Do et al [69] reported 15 Red List tree species. They found six IUCN Red List tree species in highland floodplains and six IUCN Red List tree species in lowland mixed dry-evergreen areas.…”

Section: Distribution and Abundance Of Iucn Red List Tree Species In mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Presence of IUCN Red List Tree Species in Dependence of Site Characteristics in the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

2020

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Rare or endangered tree species are important components of forest ecosystems and play a crucial role in management and conservation. Understanding what influences their presence is critical for managers, conservationists and planners. This study presents results of a comprehensive inventory of the tree species and site characteristics in the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park (CBNP). An adaptive cluster sampling technique was applied to study the effect of human disturbance, soil properties, and terrain conditions on the presence of IUCN Red List tree species (all individuals > 5 cm diameter at breast height) in three strictly protected areas in CBNP, which have varying levels of isolation. Data from 239 sample plots (500 m2 each) were analyzed. Tree species recorded during the inventory were assigned to two categories: IUCN Red List and other. Our results showed that site characteristics differed in the three protected areas along with the presence of IUCN Red List tree species. IUCN Red List tree species were more frequently found on less favorable soils (low soil depth) and in terrain with more pronounced slopes and with a higher rock surface area (%). However, there is no indication from existing information on the autecology of the different Red List species that the site conditions hosting the species are the ones favored by the species, even on the contrary for some. Although direct signs of human activity (paths, animal traps) could not be related to the presence of Red List tree species, the data suggest that the accessibility of the sites is a strong negative driver for the presence of Red List tree species. We conclude that protection of the forests of the Cat Ba Island should be stricter to allow the IUCN Red List tree species to grow under more appropriate conditions, which then would allow studying their ecology in more detail. This would further allow deriving more precise recommendations for their future protection.

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“…However, the structural dynamics and tree species diversity of DF are inadequate and lack consistent research (Gopalakrishna et al, 2015). Most of the research on DF dynamics has been carried out in continental South and Southeast Asia, particularly in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal and Indonesia (Wanthongchai et al, 2014;Manuri et al, 2016;Das et al, 2018;Lal et al, 2019;Bhatta & Devkota, 2020), and very few in tropical Vietnam (Do et al, 2017). DF researchers in Vietnam have primarily focused on developing growth models, allometric equations, to estimate forest biomass and silvicultural studies (Luong et al, 2015;Huy et al, 2016Huy et al, , 2018Huy et al, , 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree diversity and species composition of tropical dry forests in Vietnam's Central Highlands Region

et al. 2021

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Tree species inventories, particularly of poorly known dry forests, are necessary to protect and restore them in degraded landscapes. The present research has been conducted to compare taxonomic diversity and community composition in four dry forests (DF) categories with different standing volume levels: very low (DFV), low (DFP), medium (DFM) and high (DFR). This quantitative assessment of taxonomic diversity, forest structure and species composition were obtained from 103 sample plots (0.1 ha each). The regeneration potential of trees was assessed in 515 subplots (4 m × 4 m) located within the 103 plots. A total of 1,072 trees representing 87 species belonging to 37 families were recorded in 10.3 ha of total sampled area. The ranges of diversity indices observed in the four forest types were: Margalef's (5.44–8.43), Shannon-Wiener (1.80–2.29), Simpson diversity (0.76–0.87) and evenness (0.32–0.35). The regeneration potential of rare and threatened species Dalbergia oliveri, Hopea recopei, Dalbergia bariensis, Sindora siamensis, Parashorea stellata was observed to be poor. Conversely, Cratoxylon formosum, Shorea obtusa, Dipterocarpus tuberculatus, Dipterocarpus obtusifolius, Terminalia alata, Shorea siamensis and Xylia xylocarpa were the most dominant species at the seedling and sapling stage, showing a strong potential for regeneration. Overall, this study provides useful information on tree species diversity and composition for tropical dry forests which can be used as baseline data to develop incoming plans for forest management and conservation in Vietnam's Central Highlands Region.

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Diversity depends on scale in the forests of the Central Highlands of Vietnam

Cited by 12 publications

References 53 publications

Plant species diversity and composition in limestone forests of the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

Plant species diversity and composition in limestone forests of the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

The Presence of IUCN Red List Tree Species in Dependence of Site Characteristics in the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

Tree diversity and species composition of tropical dry forests in Vietnam's Central Highlands Region

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Diversity depends on scale in the forests of the Central Highlands of Vietnam

Cited by 12 publications

References 53 publications

﻿Plant species diversity and composition in limestone forests of the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

﻿Plant species diversity and composition in limestone forests of the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

The Presence of IUCN Red List Tree Species in Dependence of Site Characteristics in the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

Tree diversity and species composition of tropical dry forests in Vietnam's Central Highlands Region

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Product

Resources

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Plant species diversity and composition in limestone forests of the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park

Plant species diversity and composition in limestone forests of the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park