Chamaecyparis montane cloud forest in Taiwan: ecology and vegetation classification

Abstract

Montane cloud forest is one of the most endangered ecosystems. However, there are few comprehensive studies on the distribution of subtropical montane cloud forest (SMCF). Chamaecyparis forest is one type of SMCF in Taiwan, distributed across the whole island. This study describes eleven types of this forest in Taiwan based on the Braun‐Blanquet approach. Plots were selected from the National Vegetation Database of Taiwan. Two alliances were defined, both of which belong to the order Fagetalia hayatae. Topography and altitude explain the contrasting habitat requirements of these two alliances, whereas seasonality of moisture, soil properties and altitude explain differences in floristic composition at the association level. The alliance of Chamaecyparidion formosanae on slopes and ridges includes coniferous or mixed coniferous and evergreen broad‐leaved forests; it is found at higher altitudes and is more influenced by the summer monsoon than the other alliance. Five associations are defined within this alliance. The alliance of Pasanio kawakamii‐Machilion japonicae growing on slopes and in valleys contains evergreen broad‐leaved forests or forests with a mixture of coniferous and evergreen broad‐leaved species. Six associations can be determined under the alliance of Pasanio kawakamii‐Machilion japonicae. Classification of each syntaxon was formalized using Cocktail Determination Key.

Community change and species richness reductions in rapidly advancing tree lines

“…Some logging of this species occurred during Japanese occupation of Taiwan (1895–1945), but this was predominantly at more accessible lower elevations, furthermore the cypress species Chamaecyparis obtusa var . formosana and Chamaecyparis formosensis were preferred for timber (Li et al ., ). No evidence of recent logging has been observed at any of the tree line sites in this study either from on‐ground observation or from the study of aerial photographs dating back to the 1940s (S. Greenwood pers.…”

The 30th anniversary of Ecological Research: past, present, and future

“…To achieve this goal, ER created a new article category, Biodiversity in Asia, which caters to distinctive issues in Asia and accepts descriptive work related to the fundamental information of characteristic Asian biodiversity. As of November 2016, three papers had been already published in the Biodiversity in Asia category (Li et al 2015;Choi 2016;Zhang et al 2016). Furthermore, joint special issues with the Journal of Plant Research, ''Long-term and multidisciplinary research of the forest carbon cycle at the Takayama site, Japan,'' and the Journal of Forest Research, ''Ecological aspects of management of overabundant deer populations,'' have been published under a plan to publish distinctive content in ER and ensure its status as a comprehensive ecological journal.…”

Variation in Mountain Vegetation Composition between the East and the West Sides of Southern Taiwan

“…In winter, the cool northeastern monsoon leads to moderate precipitation on only the windward slopes. The area not influenced by the winter monsoon experiences a dry period of 2 to 6 months [12]. Because of the northeastern monsoon in winter, southwestern Taiwan experiences a dry season of 6 months from late October to early April; however, southeastern Taiwan does not experience a dry season.…”

“…Several studies have evaluated the types and distribution of vegetation in these areas [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. However, synthetic comparative studies that investigate vegetation types across Southern Taiwan on the basis of floristic composition are lacking, except for studies on Chamaecyparis montane cloud forests [12], high-mountain coniferous forests [13], and beech forests [14] in other areas. Formalized vegetation classification can comprise repeatable classification sometimes accompanied by unequivocally described rules for assigning individual vegetation stands to classification units [15].…”