Mismatch Between Specific and Genetic Diversity in an Evergreen Broadleaf Forest in Southeast China: A Study Case of 10.24 ha Forest Dynamics Plot of Huangshan

Abstract

For a long time, forestry management has often focused on the protection of species diversity, and mistakenly believed that protecting species diversity protects genetic diversity. Therefore, research that integrates community ecology and population genetics has become important because it can help elucidate whether the targets for protecting specific and genetic diversity are congruent. In this study, we have emphasized the impact of the community on the population because no previous studies have considered the community composition of a place a priori. Based on the Huangshan 10.24 ha dynamics forest plot, we a priori considered the community composition in the plot to test species-genetic diversity among the tree layers. Firstly, a redundancy analysis (RDA) found that Castanopsis eyrei and Pinus massoniana were the dominant species. Secondly, specific and genetic diversity are not congruent in Huang Shan. Finally, the structural equation model (SEM) showed that the different degrees of response by community composition and population structure to environmental heterogeneity are the main reasons for the mismatch between species diversity and genetic diversity. The results suggest that we must focus on genetic diversity, as well as on protecting species diversity.

Scale‐dependent effects of species diversity on aboveground biomass and productivity in a subtropical broadleaved forest on Mt. Huangshan

“…Some studies have found that taxonomy has a significant effect on accumulation of biomass, due to differences in functional diversity and resource utilization efficiency between species (Li, Bao, et al, 2019 ; Lin et al, 2012 ). In HS, C. eyrei is a major component of the community that competes with other species for resources at a small scale (Ding et al, 2016 ; Xie et al, 2022 ). C. eyrei was the species with the highest importance value in most of the quadrats (Table S1 ).…”

“…Huangshan, and Mt. Huaiyu may have acted as refuges for Quercus chenii and Ginkgo biloba during the last ice age (Li, Zhang, et al, 2019 ; Zhao et al, 2019 ) The Huangshan forest dynamics plot (HS) was established in 2014, and a re‐census was performed in 2019 (Xie et al, 2022 ). The actual coordinates of the forestry dynamics plot are 30°8′26″ N, 116°6′38″ E, and an elevation of 400–600 m, with an annual average temperature of 7.8°C.…”

“…The 10.24 ha plot was divided into 256 quadrats (20 m × 20 m), in which species diversity (species richness, Shannon–Wiener index, etc.) and topography (convexity, altitude, slope, and aspect) have been previously measured (Xie et al, 2022 ). A 20 m × 20 m quadrat can be decomposed into 16 5 m × 5 m and 4 10 m × 10 m quadrats, respectively.…”

“…Huangshan Forest, a relatively well‐preserved natural subtropical forest in China, is of great significance for studying biodiversity maintenance and ecosystem functioning (Lv et al, 2022 ). We previously established a 10.24 ha subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest plot in 2014 based on the Center for Tropical Forest Sciences (CTFS) approach (Ding et al, 2016 ; Xie et al, 2022 ). Herein, we used species distribution and DBH data recorded in a forest dynamics plot to explore the effects of different scales on the relationship between species diversity and biomass/productivity at a local scale.…”