Negative canopy–understorey interaction shapes the sapling bank of Fagus crenata in a cool-temperate, conifer–hardwood mixed forest

Kuninaga, Tomohiro; Hirayama, Katsuya; Sakimoto, Michinori

doi:10.1007/s11258-015-0501-9

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Regarding solar radiation variables, it is known that beech crowns transmit only a small proportion of daylight to the forest floor (Ellenberg 1996;Barbier et al 2008) and that the effective amount of radiation reaching the forest floor is determined by forest structural characteristics and tree species (van Oijen et al 2005;Barbier et al 2008;Promis et al 2008;Martínez Pastur et al 2012;Kuninaga et al 2015). According with this, we expected the highest level of solar radiation in deciduous forest, because the canopy of N. pumilio is quite sparse and their leaves are substantially thinner than N. betuloides.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Even the most shade-intolerant species may disappear completely in pure evergreen stands developing a forest typical climax shade-tolerant species. However, there is little information about particularities of understory composition, structure and distribution patterns in mixed deciduous-evergreen broadleaved forests (see Kuninaga et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The influence of canopy-layer composition on understory plant diversity in southern temperate forests

et al. 2017

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Background: Understory plants represents the largest component of biodiversity in most forest ecosystems and plays a key role in forest functioning. Despite their importance, the influence of overstory-layer composition on understory plant diversity is relatively poorly understood within deciduous-evergreen broadleaved mixed forests. The aim of this work was to evaluate how tree overstory-layer composition influences on understory-layer diversity in three forest types (monospecific deciduous Nothofagus pumilio (Np), monospecific evergreen Nothofagus betuloides (Nb), and mixed N. pumilio-N. betuloides (M) forests), comparing also between two geographical locations (coast and mountain) to estimate differences at landscape level. Results: We recorded 46 plant species: 4 ferns, 12 monocots, and 30 dicots. Canopy-layer composition influences the herb-layer structure and diversity in two different ways: while mixed forests have greater similarity to evergreen forests in the understory structural features, deciduous and mixed were similar in terms of the specific composition of plant assemblage. Deciduous pure stands were the most diverse, meanwhile evergreen stands were least diverse. Lack of exclusive species of mixed forest could represent a transition where evergreen and deciduous communities meet and integrate. Moreover, landscape has a major influence on the structure, diversity and richness of understory vegetation of pure and mixed forests likely associated to the magnitude and frequency of natural disturbances, where mountain forest not only had highest herb-layer diversity but also more exclusive species. Conclusions: Our study suggests that mixed Nothofagus forest supports coexistence of both pure deciduous and pure evergreen understory plant species and different assemblages in coastal and mountain sites. Maintaining the mixture of canopy patch types within mixed stands will be important for conserving the natural patterns of understory plant composition in southern beech mixed forests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of canopy-layer composition on understory plant diversity in southern temperate forests

et al. 2017

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“…Site conditions after clear cutting tend to be homogeneous and only light-dependent species (e.g., P. yunnanensis, Q. variabilis, C. glauca) were the first to renew and develop into forest canopy dominant species. They had reached physiological maturity and the natural dispersal distance of their seeds was very limited (Anonymous 1960, Li et al 2009, Kuninaga et al 2015, resulting in the progeny to come together and the understory to be clustered. Several light-dependent shrubs (e.g., P.…”

Section: Response Of the Distribution Pattern To Stratificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may be the result of the greater competitive pressure between plants in upper layers than in lower ones (Picard et al 2009). Inter-/intraspecific competition for habitat resources (e.g., light, water, and nutrition) leads to self-thinning (Hao et al 2007, Piao et al 2013, destroying the pattern originally generated by the restrictive seed distribution and resulting in a tendency toward a non-aggregated distribution (Torimaru et al 2013, Kuninaga et al 2015. The spatial pattern among the different life histories of the same population also showed that individuals in the large diameter classes were closer to having a random distribution than those in the medium classes (Torimaru et al 2013).…”

Section: Response Of the Distribution Pattern To Stratificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial structure of the vertical layers in a subtropical secondary forest 57 years after clear-cutting

Li¹,

He²,

Yu³

et al. 2019

iForest

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Stratification is an important phenomenon in natural forests. The mixed pineoak forests along the Nanpan River in southwest China was clearly formed by two layers in the vertical direction. These forests developed in an area where the virgin forests suffered clear-cutting. After excluding habitat heterogeneity, we divided two plots into upper and lower layers according to the tree height, and then analyzed the spatial pattern, species distribution, and size differentiation using the pair correlation function g(r) and the mark correlation function (MCF) kmm (r), respectively. The following key results were obtained: (1) the upstory was slightly clustered, whereas the understory had an intensively clumped pattern. An uneven pattern of germplasm resources in the early stages of succession and seed dispersion limitation may have contributed to the aggregation of tree species. (2) The spatial correlation among the main populations in each layer, and between both layers, had a largely random association, suggesting that differences in tree growth and physiological characteristics play an important role in species association. (3) Species aggregation decreased as the observation scale increased; however, the aggregation intensity of the understory was significantly higher than that of the upstory, which may be related to negative density dependence and niche complementarity. (4) Size differentiation in the upstory was significant, with small trees gathered together. There were no obvious differences in tree size in the lower layer, indicating a higher competitive pressure among trees in the upper layer. In conclusion, the spatial structure of trees in terms of vertical stratification differs, which is of great significance for investigating the mechanisms by which species coexist.

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“…Therefore, understanding the intra-and interspecific relationships among the different growth stages is critical for understanding the dynamics of tree population (Coates, Canham, Beaudet, Sachs, & Messier, 2003;Pacala & Deutschman, 1995;Van de Peer, Verheyen, Kint, Cleemput, & Muys, 2017). Negative density-dependent competition caused by conspecific adults is found important in allowing the coexistence of tree species in mature forests (Bai et al, 2012;Das, Battles, Stephenson, & Mantgem, 2011;Kuninaga, Hirayama, & Sakimoto, 2015;Liang et al, 2016;Lutz et al, 2014). Such strong intraspecific negative feedback existing between canopy and understory trees can offset the effect of species asymmetry in competition ability and promote coexistence of multiple tree species with different life-history traits (Du, Zhou, & Etienne, 2011;Woods, 1984).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Canopy disturbance and gap partitioning promote the persistence of a pioneer tree population in a near‐climax temperate forest of the Qinling Mountains, China

Guo

Peng

Yue

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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An unresolved question of temperate forests is how pioneer tree species persist in mature forests. In order to understand the responsible mechanisms, we investigated a near‐climax mixed temperate forest dominated by Betula albosinensis in the Qinling Mountains of China. Through establishing four 50 m × 50 m plots, we examined the canopy disturbance characteristics and its effects on tree recruitments. We further test the intra‐ and interspecific effects on the recruitment of B. albosinensis . The obtained data demonstrated canopy disturbance was frequent but most small‐sized. The canopy gaps are caused mainly by adult B. albosinensis by snapping. The regeneration of coexistent tree species shows a distinct preference for gap size. B. albosinensis were clumped at the juvenile stage and small scales. B. albosinensis juveniles were positively associated with B. utilis juveniles and negatively associated with the conspecific and B. utilis large trees. In addition, B. albosinensis juveniles showed negative associations with contemporary other tree species. Our results suggested that canopy disturbance caused by canopy trees and gap partitioning among the coexistent tree species are important for the persistence of the mixed forest. As a main gapmaker, B. albosinensis appear to develop a self‐perpetuating life‐history trait and allow them to persist.

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Negative canopy–understorey interaction shapes the sapling bank of Fagus crenata in a cool-temperate, conifer–hardwood mixed forest

Cited by 9 publications

References 39 publications

The influence of canopy-layer composition on understory plant diversity in southern temperate forests

The influence of canopy-layer composition on understory plant diversity in southern temperate forests

Spatial structure of the vertical layers in a subtropical secondary forest 57 years after clear-cutting

Canopy disturbance and gap partitioning promote the persistence of a pioneer tree population in a near‐climax temperate forest of the Qinling Mountains, China

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