Spatial Distribution and Species Association of Dominant Tree Species in Huangguan Plot of Qinling Mountains, China

Abstract

The spatial distribution pattern and population structure of trees are shaped by multiple processes, such as species characteristics, environmental factors, and intraspecific and interspecific interactions. Studying the spatial distribution patterns of species, species associations, and their relationships with environmental factors is conducive to uncovering the mechanisms of biodiversity maintenance and exploring the underlying ecological processes of community stability and succession. This study was conducted in a 25-ha Qinling Huangguan forest (warm-temperate, deciduous, broad-leaved) dynamic monitoring plot. We used univariate and bivariate g(r) functions of the point pattern analysis method to evaluate the spatial distribution patterns of dominant tree species within the community, and the intra- and interspecific associations among different life-history stages. Complete spatial randomness and heterogeneous Poisson were used to reveal the potential process of community construction. We also used Berman’s test to determine the effect of three topographic variables on the distribution of dominant species. The results indicated that all dominant species in this community showed small-scale aggregation distribution. When we excluded the influence of environmental heterogeneity, the degree of aggregation distribution of each dominant species tended to decrease, and the trees mainly showed random or uniform distribution. This showed that environmental heterogeneity significantly affects the spatial distribution of tree species. Dominant species mainly showed positive associations with one another among different life-history stages, while negative associations prevailed among different tree species. Furthermore, we found that the associations between species were characterized by interspecific competition. Berman’s test results under the assumption of complete spatial randomness showed that the distribution of each dominant species was mainly affected by slope and convexity.

Spatial Distribution and Sustainable Development of Living Woody and Coarse Woody Debris in Warm-Temperate Deciduous Broadleaved Secondary Forests in China

“…This fosters group effects and enhances the likelihood of individual survival. Building upon the observed positive association, it may be inferred that the presence of medium-sized trees has a beneficial impact on the growth of small trees [ 52 ]. However, as individual plants undergo growth and maturation, the competition for resources among individuals at various developmental stages intensifies.…”

Vegetation structure of forests over limestone and its influencing environmental factors in Samar Island Natural Park, Philippines

“…Rubiaceae and Moraceae dominate in three of the four locations, while Sapotaceae and Euphorbiaceae occur in only two. Actually, there are many factors that govern species distribution, such as the dispersal from the species pool (Pagel and Schurr 2012;Schurr et al 2012;Cabral et al 2012;Kang et al 2014;He et al 2022), responses to abiotic conditions, and biotic interactions in shaping species assemblages (Peña-Claros et al 2012;Tscharntke et al 2012;Kraft and Ackerly 2014;Arruda et al 2015;Bernard-Verdier et al 2012;HilleRisLambers et al 2012;Ballabha et al 2013;Benot et al 2013;Hulshof et al 2013;Stein et al 2014;Ehrlén and Morris 2015;May et al 2015;Sutcliffe et al 2015;Li et al 2017;Liang and Chan 2017;Liancourt et al 2017;Sharma et al 2018;Trindade et al 2018;Dong et al 2019;Zhou et al 2019). We have to mention here that though, all these four locations are forests over limestone, firstly, they are in different geographies and could have been subjected to varying levels of ecological and evolutionary processes.…”

“…CCA results, however, could only explain 54.99% of the variance in the data (Table 3), implying that there should be more environmental variables that could possibly explain the variation but were not included in the analysis. The distribution of tree species in tropical mountain ecosystems is the result of the interaction of multiple environmental factors that limit species distribution simultaneously (Mandle and Ticktin 2012;Diez et al 2014;He et al 2022). The literature has repeatedly emphasized that factors causing landscape heterogeneity are either natural or anthropogenic in nature or a combination of both (Keane 2017;Pham et al 2021).…”

Use of Multi-Date and Multi-Spectral UAS Imagery to Classify Dominant Tree Species in the Wet Miombo Woodlands of Zambia

“…Trees are the foundational component of the forest ecosystem, and their species composition has important influence on forest biodiversity [ 7 ]. Furthermore, tree species composition and spatial distribution are critical information needed to address ecological problems in tropical ecosystems [ 8 ]. As a result, accurate information on the spatial distribution of dominant tree species in tropical natural mixed forests with complex distributions and structures, such as the Miombo woodlands, is critical for understanding the dynamics of forest ecosystems.…”