[Species composition and community structure of coniferous-broadleaved mixed forest in Xiaolong Mountain, Gansu Province, Northwest China].

Xiaolong Mountain, located in warm temperate subtropical transition zone, is one of the important biodiversity conservation areas in China. We analyzed species composition, community structure, and habitat preferences of all woody plant species with DBH (diameter at breast height)≥1 cm in a 6 hm plot in Xiaolong Mountain, Gansu Province, Northwest China. A total of 29251 individuals (41735 stems) belonging to 33 families, 65 genera, and 124 species were recorded.

[Community structure and species composition in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Wuchaoshan, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China].

The numerical classification and ordination of plant communities can reveal the relationship between plant distribution and environment, with implications on vegetation restoration and forest management. Community types were classified using a clustering method based on 45 forest dynamic plots with each area of 0.04 hm in Wuchaoshan, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

Variation in three community features across habitat types and scales within a 15-ha subtropical evergreen-deciduous broadleaved mixed forest dynamics plot in China.

The evergreen and deciduous broadleaved mixed forests (EDBMFs) belong to one of the ecosystems most sensitive to environmental change, however, little is known about the environmental determinants for their plant diversity and forest structure at different habitat types and spatial scales. Here, we used data from a 15-ha (300 × 500 m) forest dynamic plot (FDP) of an old-growth EDBMF to examine the patterns and determinants of the three community features (stem abundance, rarefied species richness and basal area [BA]) in three habitat types (ridge, hillside and foothill) and at three spatial scales (20 × 20 m, 50 × 50 m, and 100 × 100 m). We found that the three community features significantly changed with habitat type, but only one of them (rarefied richness) changed with scale.

Relationships between Community Level Functional Traits of Trees and Seedlings during Secondary Succession in a Tropical Lowland Rainforest.

Most of the previous studies on functional traits focus exclusively on either seedlings or trees. Little knowledge exists on the relationships between community level functional traits of trees and seedlings during succession. Here, we examine variations of the community-level functional traits for trees and seedlings and their correlations along a secondary successional and environmental gradient in a tropical lowland rainforest after shifting cultivation.

[Geographic variation of seed morphological traits of Picea schrenkiana var. tianschanica in Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang of Northwest China].

Taking the Picea schrenkiana var. tianschanica forests at three sites with different longitudes (Zhaosu, Tianchi, and Qitai) in Tianshan Mountains as the objects, the cones were collected along an altitudinal gradient to analyze the variation of their seed morphological traits (seed scale length and width, seed scale length/width ratio, seed wing length and width, seed wing length/ width ratio, seed length and width, and seed length/width ratio). All the seed traits except seed width tended to decrease with increasing altitude.

[Distribution patterns of Picea schrenkiana var. tianschanica population in Tianshan Mountains].

A vertical transect investigation on Picea schrenkiana var. tianschanica forests was conducted at five different longitudinal sites (Zhaosu, Gongliu, Wusu, Urumqi, and Hami) in Tianshan Mountains, and the distribution pattern of P. schrenkiana var.

[Species richness patterns of Picea schrenkiana var. tianschanica communities along an altitudinal gradient at different longitudes in Xinjiang of Northwest China].

The Picea schrenkiana var. tianschanica forest in Zhaosu, Gongliu, Wusu, Urumqi and Hami that covered about 12 longitudes (81 degrees 05'-93 degrees 41.5'E) along the Tianshan Mountains was investigated by using vertical transects to analyze the species richness of the forest along an altitudinal gradient at different longitudes.

Spatiotemporal patterns and dynamics of species richness and abundance of woody plant functional groups in a tropical forest landscape of Hainan Island, South China.

Tropical forests are among the most species-diverse ecosystems on Earth. Their structures and ecological functions are complex to understand. Functional group is defined as a group of species that play similar roles in an ecosystem.

Seed dynamics in relation to gaps in a tropical montane rainforest of Hainan Island, South China: (II) seed bank.

Spatial and temporal patterns of seed bank dynamics in relation to gaps in an old growth tropical montane rainforest of Hainan Island, South China, were studied over two consecutive years. From June 2001 to June 2003, soil seed bank sampling blocks were taken near each of the four sides of each seed trap and immediately put into a nursery for observation of seedling emergence dynamics in four seasons (each experiment in each season). The abundances of seedlings that emerged from seed banks showed the trend of vine functional group (VFG) > shrub functional group (SFG) > tree functional group (TFG) > herb functional group (HFG), but the trend in species richness of seedlings that emerged from the soil seed banks was TFG > VFG > SFG > HFG.