Title: The topographic pattern of seed rain of a mountain mixed evergreen and deciduous forest community
Abstract: Seed rain is the primary origin of regenerative propagators of forest communities. Just by affecting the spatial distribution of seed rain as one of the underlying mechanisms, topography has influences on the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation. To test the hypotheses on account of the mountain mixed evergreen broadleaved and deciduous forest community in subtropical region, we conducted a field comparative measurative experiment from 2001. We set 5 repeated seed-collection traps randomly at each of 10 selected topographic positions in a natural secondary forest dominated by Fagus lucida between 1300m~1495m in elevation, which belongs to the National Dalaoling Forest Park. We investigated the canopy structure of the community above each group of seed traps, and collected seeds every two days during the seed rain period. The analyses on the data of 2001~2002 showed: (1) The density and species richness of seed rain were distinctly varied between both slope positions and slope shapes, showing a decreasing trend along the gradient of ridge-side slope-valley bottom vertically, and convex-plain-concave horizontally. (2) The exposure and gradient of slope did not show distinct effects on the density and species richness of seed rain. (3) There was a distinct positive corre lation between the similarity index of species composition between seed rain and arbor species of community, and slope position and slope shape, a non-distinct negative correlation between that and slope gradient, and a non-lineral relationship between that and slope exposure. (4) Through following aspects the topography may have distinct effects on the process of seed dispersal: the distribution of different tree species and their spatial patterns of density, the strength and temporal rhythm of seed production on different slope positions and shapes, the spatial pattern of wind strength and direction. The topographical effects induced a horizontal source-sink differentiation of seed flux.
Publication Year: 2004
Publication Date: 2004-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 4
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