Examination of edge effects in a Cryptomeria fortunei plantation in Zhougong Mountain, western Sichuan

doi:10.17520/biods.2015349

Abstract

Abstract:

To investigate edge effects on community structure, species composition and diversity in an artificial forest, research was conducted on Zhougong Mountain, a forest park in western Sichuan, and a large fragmented plantation of Cryptomeria fortunei was selected as the sample plot. The average DBH (diameter at breast height), average height, average density, richness index (D) and Shannon-Wiener index (H) were used to evaluate edge effects. Based on a field survey, 5 transects (width = 10 m) were established from the edge to interior forest (gradient 1 to gradient 5), and 4 small plots (10 m × 10 m) were chosen in each transect using a random sampling method. Results showed that 111 species, belonging to 96 genera and 54 families were recorded in 20 small plots with a total area of 2,000 m². The following results were also found in this investigation: (1) The number of species decreased away from the edge to forest interior. (2) In terms of community structure, a decrease of average DBH was found in the tree layer with the increase of edge gradients. Average density followed the opposite pattern and no significant differences were found in average height. In the shrub layer, average density decreased with the increase of edge gradients and no significant differences were found in average height. Average density and height both decreased from the edge to interior forest in the herb layer. (3) Based on the analysis of species diversity, richness index (D) and Shannon-Wiener index (H) of the plantation, decreased values were generally found with an increase of edge gradients, and were much more obvious in the shrub and herb layer. Moreover, the number of common species and Sørensen’s similarity coefficient between edge gradients in the forest interior and edge 1 both showed a decreasing trend from the edge to interior forest. (4) Based on a comprehensive analysis, a clear change of community was found between edge 2 and edge 3, indicating that edge effects can reach 20 m into the fragmented patch of the Cryptomeria fortunei plantation.

Key words: edge effect, Cryptomeria fortunei plantation, species diversity, community structure, species composition

Deyi Wang, Jianfeng Hao, Yan Li, Jinqiu Qi, Zengli Pei, Yujia Huang, Qian Jiang, Ya Chen. Examination of edge effects in a Cryptomeria fortunei plantation in Zhougong Mountain, western Sichuan[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2016, 24(8): 940-947.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2015349

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2016/V24/I8/940

Figures/Tables 8

Fig. 1 Composition of species, genus and family in Cryptomeria fortunei plantation

Fig. 2 Number of species of each edge gradient in Cryptomeria fortunei plantation

Fig. 3 The average diameter at breast height (DBH) and average height (H) in the tree layer of Cryptomeria fortunei plantation of different edge gradients (mean ± SD). Different small letters mean significant difference at 0.05 level among gradients.

Fig. 4 The average height in shrub and herb layers of Cryptomeria fortunei plantation of different edge gradients. Different small letters mean significant difference at 0.05 level among gradients.

Fig. 5 The average density in different layers of Cryptomeria fortunei plantation of different edge gradients. Different small letters mean significant difference at 0.05 level among gradients.

Fig. 6 Richness index (D) and Shannon-Wiener index (H) in different layers of Cryptomeria fortunei plantation of different edge gradients. Different small letters mean significant difference of D (H) at 0.05 level among gradients.

Table 1 The number of common species and Sørensen’s similarity coefficient between adjacent edge gradients in Cryptomeria fortunei plantation

两两边缘梯度之间 Between edge gradients	梯度1-梯度2 Gradient 1-gradient 2	梯度2-梯度3 Gradient 2-gradient3	梯度3-梯度4 Gradient 3-gradient 4	梯度4-梯度5 Gradient 4-gradient 5
共有种数 Number of common species	45	34	27	31
相似性系数 Sørensen’s similarity coefficient	0.69	0.60	0.54	0.67

Table 2 The number of common species and Sørensen’s similarity coefficient between gradient 1 and the other edge gradients in Cryptomeria fortunei plantation

两两边缘梯度之间 Between edge gradients	梯度1-梯度2 Gradient 1-gradient 2	梯度1-梯度3 Gradient 1-gradient 3	梯度1-梯度4 Gradient 1-gradient 4	梯度1-梯度5 Gradient 1-gradient 5
共有种数 Number of common species	45	35	29	30
相似性系数 Sørensen’s similarity coefficient	0.69	0.56	0.50	0.52

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