Effects of altitudinal gradient on species composition of naturally regenerated trees in Larix kaempferi plantations in central Japan

Abstract

Species composition and community structure of naturally regenerated trees in Larix kaempferi plantations and natural forests were compared in relation to altitudinal gradient. Fifty-nine L. kaempferi plantations and 26 natural forest stands including old-growth and secondary forests were selected from 1300 to 2000 m a.s.l. in Mt Kushigata of central Japan. Vegetation plots (10 9 10 m) were established in each stand (85 plots in total). Species composition differed significantly between forest types, particularly on high altitude plots. Some species were significantly biased to natural forests, while no species were biased to plantations. Although some species that responded significantly to altitude were common to both forest types (e.g., Acer ukurunduese, Castanea crenata, and Fraxinus lanuginose f. serrata), some differed between forest types (e.g., Fagus japonica, Prunus maximowiczii, and P. nipponica). Thus, plantation management altered species responses to altitude. Altitude should be considered when planning and carrying out forest ecological restoration in plantations, because species composition of naturally regenerated trees has already been changed by past plantation management. In particular, attention should be paid to ecological restoration at high altitude.

Interactive influences of distance from seed source and management practices on tree species composition in conifer plantations

“…Accordingly, the target composition and stand structure of plantations are mixed and complex, rather than pure and simple (Puettmann and Ammer, 2007;Nagaike, 2010). When considering conversion and restoration goals, the supply of propagules from native tree species is vitally important, wherein limitations to seed dispersal in forests are linked to distance from the mother tree or seed source (Dzwonko, 2001;Zamora et al, 2010).…”

“…One must verify whether the restored forest will meet the target objective (Nagaike, 2010;Nagaike et al, 2010). Since early stages of regeneration strongly affect future canopy species composition (Heinrichs and Schmidt, 2009), studying the recruitment of naturally regenerated trees in each stratum is important to predict the future species composition and stand structure.…”

Vegetation Recovery in Response to the Exclusion of Grazing by Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) in Seminatural Grassland on Mt. Kushigata, Japan

“…Kushigata (2053 m a.s.l. at the summit) in central Japan, seminatural grasslands are distributed patchily with plantations and fragmented natural forests [17]. In the grassland, the flowers of Iris sanguinea and other meadow species (e.g., Veronicastrum japonicum) had been renowned.…”

“…This paper presents the vegetation recovery pattern in seminatural grassland in central Japan after preventing grazing with fencing and addresses the following question: can I. sanguinea and a vegetation community recover to the original situation and community before they were affected by sika deer? [17]. The origin of the grassland is not clear, but elevations in this region around 2000 m are typically dominated by subalpine coniferous forests composed of Abies and Tsuga species.…”