Response of understory vegetation, tree regeneration, and soil quality to manipulated stand density in a Pinus massoniana plantation

Ali, Ashfaq; Dai, Dong; Akhtar, Kashif; Teng, Mingjun; Yan, Zhaogui; Urbina‐Cardona, J. Nicolás; Zhou, Zhixiang

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00775

Cited by 40 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Generally, the main factors affecting regeneration in a stand include stand density, the quality of seed trees (Shepperd, Edminster & Mata, 2006;Muhamed et al, 2018;Ali et al, 2019) and the spatial configuration of overstory trees (Sánchez Meador et al, 2009). Seedlings are an important stage during natural vegetation restoration (Sansevero et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relative proportions of different age groups of species ultimately determine the breeding population and the long-term development of forest ecosystems (Soucy, Lussier & Lavoie, 2012;Sharma et al, 2016). Sufficient numbers of young plants, seedlings and saplings are essential for regeneration; in contrast, insufficient numbers are indicative of poor regeneration ability (Ali et al, 2019). Factors that can affect the success of young plants, seedlings and saplings by regulating seed germination, the initial development of seedlings and the composition and abundance of competitive vegetation include soil temperature, nutrient mineralization, light availability in the understory and stand structure (Puhlick, Laughlin & Moore, 2012;Herizo, Randriamalala & Carrière, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors promoting the natural regeneration of Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in the Lvliang Mountains of central China

Liang

Wei

2020

PeerJ

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Given their complexity, targeted care and management of different areas and tree species are necessary for enhancing the natural regeneration of forests. Thus, an understanding of changes in the overstory and understory is essential for ensuring successful regeneration. Promoting the natural regeneration of Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations is considered challenging; indeed, regional sustainable development through natural regeneration of many stands has often been considered unattainable. Here, we studied several plots with varying extents of regeneration to identify the most important factors that affect regeneration. The plots were divided into three forest types based on the number of regenerating plants. For each type of plot, we measured various factors that might potentially affect regeneration. Representational difference analysis was used to identify the most important factors >9% contribution). Based on these factors, multiple corrections were made to construct a structural equation model of topography, stand structure, soil properties and litter to identify the most important factors driving variation in regeneration. Positive correlations were detected between regeneration with diameter at breast height (0.21) and litter thickness (0.57). Regeneration was negatively correlated with soil (−0.54) and slope (−0.48). Additionally, the number of regenerating plants and the height of regenerating plants were strongly positively correlated. However, there was no significant relationship between regeneration and litter accumulation, stand density, altitude, average tree height, total P and total N. Overall, our study showed that key factors for promoting natural regeneration include appropriate litter thickness, strong parent trees, a gentle slope and sufficient quantities of soil nutrients. Moreover, our findings provide a reference for the design of effective management and restoration plans.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors promoting the natural regeneration of Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in the Lvliang Mountains of central China

Liang

Wei

2020

PeerJ

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“…There is little correlation between the forest factors and understory vegetation diversity. Many previous studies believed that stand density had an effect on understory diversity [28,30], but this effect was mostly mediated via light [43]. There was a periodical thinning management in our study area.…”

Section: Influence Of Forest Factors and Understory Management On Undmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…The former is often used to control the fuel load, promote the quality of the trees planted [25,26], and acquire additional timber, while the latter is usually used to reduce fire risk and to reduce the resource competition [27]. Stand density can strongly influence the understory vegetation [28], and many studies have found that understory diversity usually decreases with stand density at a certain scale [29,30]. Periodical understory clearing is a common anthropogenic disturbance for plantation forests worldwide [31,32], but its impacts on understory diversity are still controversial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Available Phosphorus Loss Caused by Periodical Understory Management Reduce Understory Plant Diversity in a Northern Subtropical Pinus massoniana Plantation Chronosequence

Dai

Ali

Huang

et al. 2020

Forests

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Clearing of understory plants is a common management method in plantation forests, but its long-term impact on soil properties and understory plant diversity is still poorly understood. In order to uncover the potential relationship between understory diversity and soil properties, we categorized understory plants into herbs and shrubs, and took soil depth into consideration. We measured the soil variables and investigated the understory plant diversity in four stand age-classes (9-year-old for young, 18-year-old for intermediate, 28-year-old for near-mature, and 48-year-old for mature) in a Pinus massoniana plantation. We aimed to examine how the diversity of herbs and shrubs changed with stand succession and to determine which of the three soil depths (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, 20–40 cm) had the strongest explanation for the understory plant diversity. Furthermore, structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to assess the direct and indirect effect of understory clearing and stand age on understory diversity. We found that understory clearing influenced the trend of diversity of herbs and shrubs with stand age, and understory diversity showed a strong correlation with soil physical properties in all three soil layers. The soil properties in the 10–20 cm soil layer related with the diversity of herbs and shrubs most, while the 20–40 cm soil layer properties related with them the least. Understory clearing reduced soil available phosphorus (AP). Understory clearing and stand age were found to benefit understory plant diversity directly and decreased the understory diversity indirectly via AP. Consequently, to improve our understanding of the impact of understory clearing and stand age on biodiversity, we should take into account its direct and indirect effects.

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“…The sapling limitations and low stature of sapling need careful attention and especially Larix griffithiana in MCA and Larix himalaica in LNP. This is because adequate numbers of regenerating plants, i.e., seedlings and saplings, are essential for regeneration and inadequate numbers are indicative of poor regeneration quality (Ali et al 2019). An analysis of vegetation in temperate forest in Lachung Range of the Sikkim Himalaya recorded the minimum adult density of L. griffithiana and Populus jacquemontiana (Subba et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population structure and regeneration of Himalayan endemic Larix species in three high-altitude valleys in Nepal Himalaya

Dhamala

Aryal²,

Suwal

et al. 2020

j ecology environ

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Background The Himalayan forests are of great importance to sustain the nature and community resource demands. These forests are facing pressures both from anthropogenic activities and ongoing global climatic changes. Poor natural regeneration has been considered a major problem in mountainous forests. To understand the population structure and regeneration status of Larix (Larix griffithiana and Larix himalaica), we conducted systematic vegetation surveys in three high-altitude valleys namely Ghunsa (Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, KCA), Langtang (Langtang National Park, LNP), and Tsum (Manaslu Conservation Area, MCA) in Nepal Himalaya. The average values of diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and sapling height were compared for three sites and two species using Kruskal-Wallis test. Population structure was assessed in terms of proportion of seedlings, saplings, and trees. Regeneration was analyzed using graphical representation of frequencies of seedlings, saplings, and trees in histograms. Results The results showed that the population structure of Larix in terms of the proportion of seedling, sapling, and tree varied greatly in the three study areas. KCA had the highest record of seedling, sapling, and tree compared to other two sites. Seedlings were the least among three forms and many plots were without seedlings. We found no seedling in MCA study plots. The plot level average DBH variation among sites was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ2 = 7.813, df = 2, p = 0.02) as was between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ2 = 5.9829, df = 1, p = 0.014). Similarly, the variation in average tree height was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ2 = 134.23, df = 2, p < 0.001) among sites as well as between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ2 = 128.01, df = 1, p < 0.001). All the sites showed reverse J-shaped curve but more pronounced for KCA and MCA. In comparing the two species, Larix griffithiana has clear reverse J-shaped diameter distribution but not Larix himalaica. Conclusion The varied responses of Larix manifested through regeneration status from spatially distinct areas show that regeneration limitations might be more pronounced in the future. In all the three studied valleys, regeneration of Larix is found to be problematic and specifically for Larix griffithiana in MCA and Larix himalaica in LNP. To address the issues of disturbances, especially serious in LNP, management interventions are recommended to sustain the unique Himalayan endemic conifer.

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Response of understory vegetation, tree regeneration, and soil quality to manipulated stand density in a Pinus massoniana plantation

Cited by 40 publications

References 46 publications

Factors promoting the natural regeneration of Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in the Lvliang Mountains of central China

Factors promoting the natural regeneration of Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in the Lvliang Mountains of central China

Soil Available Phosphorus Loss Caused by Periodical Understory Management Reduce Understory Plant Diversity in a Northern Subtropical Pinus massoniana Plantation Chronosequence

Population structure and regeneration of Himalayan endemic Larix species in three high-altitude valleys in Nepal Himalaya

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