Secondary succession of plant communities in a subtropical mountainous region of SW China
Since 1985, originally forested mountainous areas of China have been allowed to return to their natural state after years of exploitation including agriculture, development, and logging. The reforms began earlier in less accessible locations, so that today the successional process is more advanced t...
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Published in | Ecological research Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 149 - 161 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Japan
Springer Japan
01.01.2010
Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Since 1985, originally forested mountainous areas of China have been allowed to return to their natural state after years of exploitation including agriculture, development, and logging. The reforms began earlier in less accessible locations, so that today the successional process is more advanced there. The vegetation in Luquan, Qiongzhusi, and Xishan near Kunming, central Yunnan, exhibits, in a limited area, a range of stages of plant succession that are widely encountered throughout the broader region, and thus affords a special opportunity for a comprehensive study. We analyzed the successional sequence of these various plant communities. They ranged from pioneer coniferous and/or pioneer deciduous broad-leaved stands to pre-mature semi-humid evergreen broad-leaved stands, through mixed coniferous and broad-leaved or mixed deciduous and evergreen broad-leaved stands. The succession proceeded from pioneer coniferous
Pinus
and
Keteleeria
, and deciduous
Platycarya
and
Alnus
, to late-successional evergreen broad-leaved
Cyclobalanopsis
and
Castanopsis
. Two regeneration types of woody species in either the early successional (15–50 years), the mid-successional (40–80 years), or the late-successional (80–180 years) stage were classified. Relatively high species diversity was found in the seral phase at the three study sites. The late-successional stage was commonest where human disturbance was least evident. Poor soil chemical properties under pioneer
Pinus
were seen as a limitation to plant growth, while the abundance of
Alnus
at the early stage led to an improved level of organic matter and nitrogen. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0912-3814 1440-1703 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s11284-009-0644-z |