Environmental filtering and dispersal limitation jointly shaped the taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity of natural forests in southern China.

Aim: The mechanisms underlying the maintenance of biodiversity remain to be elucidated. Taxonomic diversity alone remains an unresolved issue, especially in terms of the mechanisms of species co-existence. We hypothesized that phylogenetic information could help to elucidate the mechanism of community assembly and the services and functions of ecosystems.

Foundation species across a latitudinal gradient in China.

Foundation species structure forest communities and ecosystems but are difficult to identify without long-term observations or experiments. We used statistical criteria--outliers from size-frequency distributions and scale-dependent negative effects on alpha diversity and positive effects on beta diversity--to identify candidate foundation woody plant species in 12 large forest-dynamics plots spanning 26 degrees of latitude in China. We used these data (1) to identify candidate foundation species in Chinese forests, (2) to test the hypothesis--based on observations of a midlatitude peak in functional trait diversity and high local species richness but few numerically dominant species in tropical forests--that foundation woody plant species are more frequent in temperate than tropical or boreal forests, and (3) to compare these results with data from the Americas to suggest candidate foundation genera in northern hemisphere forests.

Spatial scale changes the relationship between beta diversity, species richness and latitude.

The relationship between β-diversity and latitude still remains to be a core question in ecology because of the lack of consensus between studies. One hypothesis for the lack of consensus between studies is that spatial scale changes the relationship between latitude and β-diversity. Here, we test this hypothesis using tree data from 15 large-scale forest plots (greater than or equal to 15 ha, diameter at breast height ≥ 1 cm) across a latitudinal gradient (3-30) in the Asia-Pacific region.

Partitioning beta diversity in a tropical karst seasonal rainforest in Southern China.

Both deterministic and stochastic processes have been linked to forest community assembly; however, their contribution to beta diversity has not been properly explored, and no studies to date have investigated their impacts on sparse depleted soils in forests that contain widespread exposed limestone karst. We found that the pairwise differences in species composition between quadrates was determined by a balanced variation in abundance, whereby the individuals of some species at one site were substituted by an equivalent number of individuals of different species at another site. Both the total beta diversity and its balanced variation in abundance declined with increasing sampling grain size.

[Spatial patterns of and specific correlations between dominant tree species in a karst evergreen and deciduous broadleaved mixed forest in Mulun Karst National Nature Reserve].

In order to understand the biological characteristics and specific correlations of dominant tree species in a karst characteristic evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest in Mulun National Nature Reserve of Guangxi, a point pattern analysis was made on the spatial distribution patterns and inter- and intraspecific correlations of four dominant species in a one-hectare plot. Among the four species, Boniodendron minius dominated in tree sublayer I, while Ligustrum japonicum, Sinosideroxylon wightianum, and Rapanea kwangsiensis dominated in tree sublayers II and III. All the four species had a clumped distribution at scale <10 m, a transition from clumped to random distribution at scale 10-25 m, and a random or regular distribution at scale >25 m.

[Structure and dynamics of Taxus chinensis var. mairei clonal population].

Structure and dynamics of Taxus chinensis var. mairei clonal population were studied. The results showed that according to the life history of Taxus chinensis var.