Community structure and species diversity dynamics of a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China: 2005 to 2020.

Here, we characterize the temporal and spatial dynamics of forest community structure and species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China. We found that community structure in this forest changed over a 15-year period. Specifically, renewal and death of common species was large, with the renewal of individuals mainly concentrated within a few populations, especially those of Aidia canthioides and Cryptocarya concinna. The numbers of individual deaths for common species were concentrated in the small and mid-diameter level. The spatial distribution of community species diversity fluctuated in each monitoring period, showing a more dispersed diversity after the 15-year study period, and the coefficient of variation on quadrats increased. In 2010, the death and renewal of the community and the spatial variation of species diversity were different compared to other survey years. Extreme weather may have affected species regeneration and community stability in our subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests. Our findings suggest that strengthening the monitoring and management of the forest community will help better understand the long- and short-term causes of dynamic fluctuations of community structure and species diversity, and reveal the factors that drive changes in community structure.

[Spatial Distribution Patterns of Soil Organic Carbon in Karst Forests of the Lijiang River Basin and Its Driving Factors].

The aim of this study was to explore the carbon storage potential of karst forest soils in the Lijiang River Basin, reveal the spatial pattern of soil organic carbon (SOC), investigate the contributions and pathways of each driving factor to the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon, and provide a scientific basis for assessing the carbon cycle function of karst forests in the region. We employed structural equation modeling (SEM) and correlation analysis to investigate the spatial distribution characteristics of forest soil organic carbon in different basin sections (upper, middle, and lower reaches) and soil layers at different depths of the Lijiang River. Additionally, the direct and indirect ratios of each factor were quantified. The results showed that the overall soil layer of karst forest soils in the Lijiang River Basin was shallow, and soil organic carbon was phenoconcentric. The distribution of soil organic carbon content in different watershed sections was upstream > downstream > midstream, and the distribution of readily oxidizable carbon (ROC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was consistent, whereas the distribution of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) was upstream > midstream > downstream. The contribution of various biotic and abiotic factors to the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon in karst forests in the watershed was different, and their contributions were ranked in descending order as:soil physicochemical factors > soil organic carbon active fraction > sample elevation > sample species diversity, with the total effects of 1.148, 0.574, 0.284, and -0.013, respectively. Among them, the sample site elevation had only an indirect effect on soil organic carbon, and the soil organic carbon active fraction had only a direct effect on soil organic carbon. Among the driving factors, total soil nitrogen, soil oxidizable organic carbon, sample site species richness, and soil soluble organic carbon could be used as important predictors of soil organic carbon content in karst forests in the Lijiang River Basin. Therefore, it is necessary to establish an effective eco-environmental protection mechanism covering the whole Lijiang River Basin, to reduce and control the impact of anthropogenic disturbances (especially in the middle urban section of the Lijiang River Basin), and to enhance and protect the species diversity of karst forests in the basin in order to improve soil physicochemical properties, improve and enhance the content of the soil organic carbon active fraction, and enhance the soil organic carbon stocks of karst forests in the Lijiang River Basin through other effective ways, as well as to promote the enhancement of the regional forest carbon sink function.

Phosphorus Enhances Cr(VI) Uptake and Accumulation in Leersia hexandra Swartz.

The effects of P supplementation on chromium(VI) uptake by Leersia hexandra Swartz were studied using pot-culture experiment. P-deficiency and zero-P addition controls were included. The Cr(VI) uptake followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Compare with the control, the P-supply decreased the Michaelis constant (Km) by 16.9% and the P-deficiency decreased the maximum uptake velocity (Vmax) by 18%, which indicated no inhibition and competition between P and Cr(VI) uptake by L. hexandra. Moreover, there were a synergistic action between P and Cr(VI) suggests that Cr(VI) uptake by the roots of L. hexandra may be an active process. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) and the transport factor (TF') increased with the increase in P supply. The highest BCF was 3.6-folds higher than the control, indicating that the additional P contribute to a higher ability of L. hexandra transporting Cr from root to the aboveground parts.

Spatial patterns and associations between species belonging to four genera of the Lauraceae family.

Spatial distribution pattern of biological related species present unique opportunities and challenges to explain species coexistence. In this study, we explored the spatial distributions and associations among congeneric species at both the species and genus levels to explain their coexistence through examining the similarities and differences at these two levels. We first used DNA and cluster analysis to confirmed the relative relationship of eight species within a 20 ha subtropical forest in southern China. We compared Diameter at breast height (DBH) classes, aggregation intensities and spatial patterns, associations, and distributions of four closely related species pairs to reveal similarities and differences at the species and genus levels. These comparisons provided insight into the mechanisms of coexistence of these congeners. O-ring statistics were used to measure spatial patterns of species. Ω0-10, the mean conspecific density within 10 m of a tree, was used as a measure of the intensity of aggregation of a species, and g-function was used to analyze spatial associations. Our results suggested that spatial aggregations were common, but the differences between spatial patterns were reduced at the genus level. Aggregation intensity clearly reduced at the genus level. Negative association frequencies decreased at the genus level, such that independent association was commonplace among all four genera. Relationships between more closely related species appeared to be more competitive at both the species and genus levels. The importance of competition on interactions is most likely influenced by similarity in lifestyle, and the habitat diversity within the species' distribution areas. Relatives with different lifestyles likely produce different distribution patterns through different interaction process. In order to fully understand the mechanisms generating spatial distributions of coexisting siblings, further research is required to determine the spatial patterns and associations at other classification levels.

Which models are appropriate for six subtropical forests: species-area and species-abundance models.

The species-area relationship is one of the most important topic in the study of species diversity, conservation biology and landscape ecology. The species-area relationship curves describe the increase of species number with increasing area, and have been modeled by various equations. In this paper, we used detailed data from six 1-ha subtropical forest communities to fit three species-area relationship models. The coefficient of determination and F ratio of ANOVA showed all the three models fitted well to the species-area relationship data in the subtropical communities, with the logarithm model performing better than the other two models. We also used the three species-abundance distributions, namely the lognormal, logcauchy and logseries model, to fit them to the species-abundance data of six communities. In this case, the logcauchy model had the better fit based on the coefficient of determination. Our research reveals that the rare species always exist in the six communities, corroborating the neutral theory of Hubbell. Furthermore, we explained why all species-abundance figures appeared to be left-side truncated. This was due to subtropical forests have high diversity, and their large species number includes many rare species.

Spatial patterns and interspecific associations of three canopy species at different life stages in a subtropical forest, China.

Spatial patterns of species at different life stages are an important aspect for understanding causal mechanisms that facilitate species co-existence. Using Ripley's univariate L(t) and bivariate L(12)(t) functions, we analyzed the spatial patterns and interspecific associations of three canopy species at different life history stages in a 20-ha subtropical forest plot in Dinghushan Nature Reserve. Based on diameter at breast height (DBH), four life stages were distinguished. Castanopsis chinensis and Schima superba showed a unimodal DBH distribution. Engelhardtia roxburghiana showed a bimodal curve. L(t) function analysis showed significantly aggregated distributions of all three species at later life stages and random distribution at early life stages at some scales. From the analysis of L(12)(t) function, the results showed the positive association was a dominant pattern for most species pairs at most scales but the intensity of association decreases with the increase of life stages. Juveniles of the three species had no negative intra- and interspecific associations with the older life stages. Only premature trees were suppressed by overmature trees at some scales. Considering these results, we found three canopy-dominant species that lacked regeneration. There was no direct competition occurring between understorey individuals. Young trees can grow well under conspecific species with two other species. Longevity and lack of regeneration led to a large number of trees stored in mature and overmature stages, therefore, intra- and inter-competition can be strong at later life stages.

[Soil organic carbon and nitrogen mineralization along a forest successional gradient in Southern China].

With incubation test, this paper studied the characteristics of organic C and N mineralization in 0-10 cm soil layer under three forest types, i. e., pine (Pinus massoniana) forest (PMF), pine and broad-leaved mixed forest (PBMF) and monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest (MEBF), which were in a successional series in Dinghushan Mountain of Southern China. The results showed that after incubation for 52 weeks, the cumulative emission of CO2-C from PMF, PBMF and MEBF soil was 30.66 +/- 3.36, 58.17 +/- 7.25 and 59.31 +/- 13.58 mg x kg(-1), respectively, and 64.12%, 64.41% and 65.12% of which were released in the first 9 weeks. The cumulative emission of CO2-C was always significantly smaller from PMF soil than from PBMF and MEBF soils, and its change pattern over time fitted well with a two-pool kinetic model. The parameters based on the model implicated that the mineralization rates of soil labile and recalcitrant organic carbon tended to decrease with the forest type changing from PMF to PBMF and MEBF. The cumulative amount of CH4 after 52 weeks incubation and the net production of available N and nitrate after 20 weeks incubation were significantly higher in MEBF soil than in PBMF soil, and also, in PBMF soil than in PMF soil. NO3(-) -N was the dominant form in net available N production. The change in soil organic carbon mineralization rate caused by forest type change was an inherent way to affect soil organic carbon content.