Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China

Seedling and sapling spatial patterns are important in community regeneration, and understanding the natural regeneration mechanisms of tree species in relation to spatial patterns will help improve forest management and community restoration efficiency. Based on data from three fixed plots establis...

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Main Authors: Lingyu Zhang, Lingbo Dong, Qiang Liu, Zhaogang Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-01-01
Series:Forests
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/2/152
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spelling doaj-cb1affbcbca34a858676f2e8cc3bd0d32020-11-25T02:20:45ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072020-01-0111215210.3390/f11020152f11020152Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, ChinaLingyu Zhang0Lingbo Dong1Qiang Liu2Zhaogang Liu3Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Heilongjiang 150040, ChinaKey Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Heilongjiang 150040, ChinaSchool of Forestry, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, ChinaKey Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Heilongjiang 150040, ChinaSeedling and sapling spatial patterns are important in community regeneration, and understanding the natural regeneration mechanisms of tree species in relation to spatial patterns will help improve forest management and community restoration efficiency. Based on data from three fixed plots established in birch forests (BF), coniferous and broadleaved mixed forests (CBMF) and coniferous mixed forests (CMF) in the central Greater Khingan Mountains in Heilongjiang Province, China, in 2017, we used the univariate and bivariate O-ring functions of the point pattern analysis method to evaluate the spatial patterns and associations of the main tree species in these three forest types at different development stages and identified the community successional stages according to the interspecific associations between dominant tree species and other tree species. The results showed that <i>Betula platyphylla</i> and <i>Larix gmelinii</i> in BF exhibited identical spatial distribution patterns and had a tendency to transition from an aggregated to a random distribution from saplings to adult trees, whereas every tree type in CBMF generally showed a random distribution. Adult trees of the main tree species in CMF, i.e., <i>L. gmelinii</i> and <i>Picea koraiensis</i>, mainly showed a random distribution, but <i>P. koraiensis</i> at other size classes generally showed an aggregated distribution. The intraspecific associations of the main tree species in BF and CMF at different development stages were constrained by the spatial scale within a given scope, while those in CBMF at different development stages were not significantly constrained by spatial scale. The results also show that the density of the three forest types was affected by the distance between the individuals of the various tree classes and adult trees, with different levels of influence. We analyzed the interspecific associations between dominant tree species and other tree species and then assessed community succession progress and found that the BF and CMF exhibited medium-term community succession, while the CBMF was in the primary stage. Our results further show that the spatial distribution patterns of the tree species in the small-diameter classes were jointly affected by adjacent habitats and diffusional limitations and that scale dependence existed in the intraspecific and interspecific associations. The analysis of the natural regeneration of spatial distribution and interspecific associations represents an efficient way to explore the stability of forest communities and dynamic changes in interspecific relationships during succession. The study results thus provide a theoretical basis for developing rational forest management measures.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/2/152spatial associationsspatial patternsregenerationo-ring statisticsbirch forestconiferous and broadleaved mixed forestconiferous mixed forest
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Lingyu Zhang
Lingbo Dong
Qiang Liu
Zhaogang Liu
spellingShingle Lingyu Zhang
Lingbo Dong
Qiang Liu
Zhaogang Liu
Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China
Forests
spatial associations
spatial patterns
regeneration
o-ring statistics
birch forest
coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest
coniferous mixed forest
author_facet Lingyu Zhang
Lingbo Dong
Qiang Liu
Zhaogang Liu
author_sort Lingyu Zhang
title Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China
title_short Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China
title_full Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China
title_fullStr Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China
title_full_unstemmed Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China
title_sort spatial patterns and interspecific associations during natural regeneration in three types of secondary forest in the central part of the greater khingan mountains, heilongjiang province, china
publisher MDPI AG
series Forests
issn 1999-4907
publishDate 2020-01-01
description Seedling and sapling spatial patterns are important in community regeneration, and understanding the natural regeneration mechanisms of tree species in relation to spatial patterns will help improve forest management and community restoration efficiency. Based on data from three fixed plots established in birch forests (BF), coniferous and broadleaved mixed forests (CBMF) and coniferous mixed forests (CMF) in the central Greater Khingan Mountains in Heilongjiang Province, China, in 2017, we used the univariate and bivariate O-ring functions of the point pattern analysis method to evaluate the spatial patterns and associations of the main tree species in these three forest types at different development stages and identified the community successional stages according to the interspecific associations between dominant tree species and other tree species. The results showed that <i>Betula platyphylla</i> and <i>Larix gmelinii</i> in BF exhibited identical spatial distribution patterns and had a tendency to transition from an aggregated to a random distribution from saplings to adult trees, whereas every tree type in CBMF generally showed a random distribution. Adult trees of the main tree species in CMF, i.e., <i>L. gmelinii</i> and <i>Picea koraiensis</i>, mainly showed a random distribution, but <i>P. koraiensis</i> at other size classes generally showed an aggregated distribution. The intraspecific associations of the main tree species in BF and CMF at different development stages were constrained by the spatial scale within a given scope, while those in CBMF at different development stages were not significantly constrained by spatial scale. The results also show that the density of the three forest types was affected by the distance between the individuals of the various tree classes and adult trees, with different levels of influence. We analyzed the interspecific associations between dominant tree species and other tree species and then assessed community succession progress and found that the BF and CMF exhibited medium-term community succession, while the CBMF was in the primary stage. Our results further show that the spatial distribution patterns of the tree species in the small-diameter classes were jointly affected by adjacent habitats and diffusional limitations and that scale dependence existed in the intraspecific and interspecific associations. The analysis of the natural regeneration of spatial distribution and interspecific associations represents an efficient way to explore the stability of forest communities and dynamic changes in interspecific relationships during succession. The study results thus provide a theoretical basis for developing rational forest management measures.
topic spatial associations
spatial patterns
regeneration
o-ring statistics
birch forest
coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest
coniferous mixed forest
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/2/152
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