A comparison of seedling emergence and survival between Quercus glauca and Symplocos prunifolia

Seedling emergence and initial survival were compared for two evergreen broad-leaved species, Quercus glauca and Symplocos prunifolia. The relationships between the two seedling dynamics variables and environmental factors for the two species were also investigated. The number of seedlings that emerged in the study period was larger for S. prunifolia than for Q. glauca, while the survival rate was lower for S. prunifolia, presumably due to the closed canopy of this site. Models were selected for each species to determine the combination of variables explaining the most variation in emergence and survival of seedlings. The model selected for seedling emergence of Q. glauca showed that more seedlings emerged in lower hillslope positions and where the canopy in winter was more open. The model selected for S. prunifolia showed that fewer seedlings emerged on steeper slopes and that more emerged under a more open canopy in winter. With respect to seedling survival, models with only the proportion of open canopy in summer were selected for both species. These models showed that the survival rate was higher where the canopy in summer was more open. This is to be expected as both species are regarded as pioneer or mid-successional species. Q. glauca seemed to have the ability to persist as a dominant in the secondary forest at this site for longer than S. prunifolia due to the former’s better seedling survival rates and the rarity of climax species such as Castanopsis cuspidata.