栓皮栎人工林主要树种种群空间分布格局

为揭示连云港地区栓皮栎人工林主要树种的种群空间分布格局及其动态变化规律,根据群落调查资料,在计算树种种群的重要值的基础上,确定栓皮栎人工林的主要树种,并应用扩散指数、负二项参数、Lloyd的平均拥挤度、聚块性指标、Morisita指数对该人工林主要树种的种群分布格局进行分析.结果表明:连云港栓皮栎人工林主要树种为栓皮栎、盐肤木、黄檀和赤松,种群分布格局都为聚集分布,聚集强度表现为:栓皮栎种群＜黄檀种群＜盐肤木种群＜赤松种群;在不同发育阶段,主要树木种群的聚集程度不同,栓皮栎种群聚集强度随种群龄级的增加而减小,而盐肤木种群和黄檀种群的聚集强度则随种群龄级的增加而增加;种群分布规律与种群个体数的大小和种群的生物学和生态学特性有关.可以进行适当的透光伐作业改善林内的光照条件,促进伴生树种的更新.     

伏牛山区陶湾流域森林土壤有机碳的深度分布格局研究

选取栓皮栎林、油松林、混交林、灌木林等主要林地类型的165个土壤采样点,研究了伏牛山区陶湾流域林地土壤有机碳SOC含量变化规律和分布模型。结果表明:0～20cm深度,栓皮栎林、油松林、混交林、灌木林SOC密度平均为7.92,8.42,8.14和9.67kg·m-2,灌木林与栓皮栎林、油松林、混交林SOC密度差异显著(P0.05),4类植被类型SOC密度值均随土壤深度的增加而急剧下降。0～20cm层SOC密度与植被类型、郁闭度、粘粒含量、砂粒含量相关性均显著,与海拔相关性不显著;用0～100cm层碳密度来描述区域SOC储量时,估计值偏低。若考虑0～150cm深度土壤有机碳的分布,与0～100cm的深度相比,研究流域4种树种有机碳密度将增加2.0%～3.6%,若考虑0～200cm的深度,有机碳密度将增加3.9%～7.0%。     

混交林的研究进展分析

从4个方面对混交林的研究概况进行论述和分析：混交林研究的历史;从生态学角度研究混交林中的种间关系;树种间相互作用的主要方式;树种间生理生态作用效果。     

北京西山地区人工油松栓皮栎混交林根系研究初报

对油松栓皮栎混交林，油松纯林和栓皮栎纯林三种林分的根系形态，分布和生物量分别进行了调查，研究结果表明：1．栓皮栎纯林、混交林，油松纯林的细根（＜2毫米）量和粗根（2－10毫米）量分别为：2440．18公斤／公顷和3897．11公斤／公顷；1861．65公斤／公顷和3323．87公斤／公顷；1441．98公斤／公顷和1767．93公斤／公顷。2．在混交林中，栓皮栎平均单株细根量和粗根量均大于纯林栓皮栎，而油松平均单株细根量和粗根量小于纯林油松。3．在混交林中，各树种的根系分布合理，没有观察到两种林木根系间有排斥现象。     

山东省沙质海岸防护林生物生态特性研究

通过对山东沙岸基干林带５种主要类型即黑松刺槐混交林、黑松紫穗槐混交林、刺槐紫穗槐混交林、黑松林、刺槐林的改土功能、防风效能、地表草本植物生长以及树种间生长特性等方面进行研究，分析了其生物生态学特性，为基干林带建设提供了有益探索。     

乳源县五指山林区的森林群落类型

乳源县五指山林区按垂直分布,其林木复合群落有4种类型:1.常绿阔叶林复合群落;2.常绿阔叶树种与落叶阔叶树种混交林木本群落;3.针阔叶混交林木本群落;4.常绿落叶阔叶矮林复合群落。本文对每种类型的海拔高度、林地土壤和主要树种等分别作了介绍。     

辽宁白石砬子自然保护区天然林群落演替过程研究

以辽宁省白石砬子自然保护区天然阔叶混交林为主要研究对象,运用植被生态学、数量生态学、森林经理学等有关理论和技术,以地面样地调查和统计学方法为基础,运用定量化分析方法研究了阔叶混交林生态系统的演替变化规律,分析了不同演替过程中的乔木树种的种间联结性、林木株数变化、林分直径径阶分布、阔叶混交林生长过程与演替动向,结果表明:在演替过程中,将桦树、山杨与柞树归为衰退种组;将红松、鱼鳞松与沙冷杉归为进展种组;椴树、落叶松、五角槭、水榆、花曲柳、裂叶榆、千金榆、黄檗与怀槐归为过渡类树种。衰退种柞树枯损死亡株数较多,但在总体数量上仍占有优势;沙冷杉、鱼鳞松、花曲柳等进展树种占有很小的比例。说明白石砬子天然林处于森林演替的初级阶段。     

祖山林区不同海拔混交林类型特征分析

为了系统研究祖山林区不同海拔混交林类型特征、物种多样性现状,解决传统营林生产中存在的问题,根据连续5a外业调查资料,对祖山林区不同海拔的混交林类型进行了划分,并采用角尺度、大小比数、混交度、Shannon-Wiener指数法等对各混交林类型特征进行了分析,结果表明:祖山林区不同海拔混交林类型划分为针针混交林类型、针阔混交林类型、阔阔混交林类型,其中针针混交林类型分为3种,针阔混交林类型分为7种,阔阔混交林类型分为15种;混交林类型中除鹅耳枥径级分布为瑞利分布外,其他优势树种的径级分布均为正态分布,相关拟合指数为0.906 9~0.981 6,总体拟合效果较好;在林分空间结构格局中,优势树种中针叶树种为平均分布,平均角尺度为0.367~0.453,而阔叶树种为随机分布,平均角尺度为0.512~0.592;混交类型为强度混交、极强度混交,林分平均混交度为0.913~1.000,混交林类型中乔木层和草本层多样性较低,乔木层多样性指数为1.037~1.595,草本层多样性指数为1.002~1.237。     

毕节地区各地貌用材造林树种的气候适宜性评价

在对毕节地区各貌类型气候变化规律进行分析的基础上，根据全区有分布的适生造林树种的生态学特性，运用Ｆｕｚｚｙ线性加权变换模，对各类型地貌造林树种的气候适宜性进行综合评价，为区域性造林树种选择提供了科学依据。     

柏木混交林类型分布立地条件的研究

本项研究应用主成分排序方法研究四川盆地4种天然柏木混交林分布与立地条件的关系,结果表明:区域内影响柏木混交林类型分布的主导立地因子是地形、土层厚度、水湿状况、土壤碳酸钙含量、pH值等。桤柏混交林主要分布在山中下部平缓的台阶低洼地带,水湿条件较好,土层深厚的地方;栎柏混交林主要分布在山中上部干燥瘠薄的立地上,生产力低;桤栎柏混交林介于二者之间;松柏混交林要求土壤中碳酸钙含量低,土壤呈微酸性至中性反应。林下灌木树种分布与立地条件因子无明显规律性。     

Fire-driven oak regeneration in French Mediterranean ecosystems

Regeneration by seeds for cork oak (Quercus suber) and companion oaks (holm oak Quercus ilex and downy oak Quercus pubescens) is likely to be poor in the fire-prone Maures massif (southern France) but the causes are poorly known. Our objective was to assess the effective recruitment for these three oak species and their temporal pattern of recruitment, in order to determine the main limitation factors and the regeneration window of each species. We studied oak recruits (height <3 m) in naturally regenerated populations according to a gradient of fire recurrence and in five main vegetation types including shrublands and mixed mature woodlands. Fire recurrence was the main explanatory factor of oak recruitment, either directly or through vegetation type and microsite characteristics. The results indicate nil to low recruitment for holm oak and downy oak in shrublands, especially those recurrently burned and dominated by Cistus species. Cork oak recruited better than the other oaks in medium and high shrublands dominated by Erica arborea. In contrast, recruitment was high for holm and downy oak in mixed oak stands and mixed pine-oak stands that have not burned for decades. Microsite conditions such as coverage by litter and shrubs influenced oak recruitment, whereas landscape configuration and stand basal area had no influence. Our results suggest that strategic shrub-clearing, oak planting and protection of mixed oak woodlands as seed sources would help maintaining oak populations in the woodland–shrubland mosaic.     

Cellular structure and chemical composition of cork from the Chinese cork oak (Quercus variabilis)

Quercus variabilis Blume, the Chinese cork oak, is an oak species with a thick cork outer bark. The cork is exploited at a limited scale in China and considered of lower quality than the commercial cork from Quercus suber. We studied an industrial cork granulate feedstock of Q. variabilis in relation to cellular structure and chemical composition and compared it to Q. suber cork under a material’s perspective. The cork of Q.variabilis has 1.1 % ash, 9.6 % extractives, 34.8 % suberin and 19.1 % lignin. The monosaccharide composition with shows a predominance of hemicelluloses: glucose 42.8 % of total neutral sugars, xylose 27.5 %, arabinose 15.4 %, galactose 9.0 %, mannose 4.0 %, rhamnose 1.2 %. The FT-IR spectrum shows the indicative peaks of suberin. The composition is overall similar to that of Q. suber cork. Q. variabilis cork has the typical cellular characteristics of bark cork tissues with a regular and radially aligned structure of cells without intercellular voids. Solid volume fraction was estimated at approximately 16 %. Compared with Q. suber, the Q. variabilis cork cells are smaller, the cell wall undulation and the overall row alignment less homogeneous, the cell surface is irregular and the solid volume proportion higher. The characteristics of Q. variabilis cork support its use as a cellular material for sealing, insulation and energy absorption, but the overall quality is lower than that of Q. suber cork. The negative impact of the higher density and structural lower uniformity at tissue and cell level should be evaluated for processing and product performance.     

Composition and structure of natural mixed-oak stands in northern and central Portugal

Stand composition and structure of natural mixed-oak stands of common-oak (Quercus robur L.) and pyrenean-oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) were studied. Diverse compositional and structural elements in early and late successional stand stages were analysed. The study was conducted in north and central Portugal where different natural mixed oak forests types are located. The following mixed-oak forest types involving common-oak and pyrenean-oak were studied: common-oak & other hardwoods; common-oak & cork-oak (Quercus suber L.); ash (Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl) & pyrenean-oak; and pyrenean-oak & madrone (Arbutus unedo L.). Measurements were made in early and late successional stand stages on the different mixed oak forest types. Different stand characteristics and indices were used to describe and compare stand structure and composition. The study showed changes in species diversity and stand structure. Most tree species in mature stands are present in early stages but with higher abundance. Shannon diversity index may change between 0.798 and 1.915. Significant differences on species diversity and abundance were found depending on the forest type and successional stage. Mature mixed-oak forests have high species diversity with an abundance of small to medium tree size species. Species distribution and diameter differentiation indices range from 0.30 to 0.70 and 0.52 to 0.82, respectively, revealing significant structural complexity. The average number of standing and downed dead trees was 265 and 83 trees ha⁻¹ for early and late stage, respectively, with 6.9 and 65.4 m³ ha⁻¹. Higher values of stand diversity index were 41 and 53 in more complex and developed forests. Later stand stages have complex structure, with a wider range of tree diameter distribution and higher degree of irregularity.     

Acorn defenses to herbivory from insects: Implications for the joint evolution of resistance,tolerance and escape

Acorn predation by insects and its effects on seedling establishment were investigated among three co-occurring oak species (Quercus variabilis, Q. serrata and Cyclobalanopsis glauca) in a subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest, Southwest China. All oak species had high tannin concentration (over 10%) but differed in acorn mass and germination schedule. We hypothesized that the defensive traits in acorns (e.g. seed mass, tannins and germination schedule) act together to reduce damage from insect seed predators. Q. variabilis had significantly lower predation (51.2%) than either Q. serrata (71.4%) or C. glauca (73.8%). Seedling establishment decreased with increasing injury for all oak species studied. As much as 43% of insect infested acorns germinated and established as viable seedlings despite extensive acorn mortality due to insect seed predators. The larger seed mass of Q. variabilis appears to tolerate insect infestation and retain enough stored reserves for seed germination and early growth of seedlings. Autumn germination also benefited Q. variabilis and Q. serrata, allowing escape from both direct and ancillary effects of insect feeding by fast reserve shifting to immediate germination of mature acorns. Our results indicate that large seed mass, tannin and autumn germination act together to ameliorate effects of insect seed predation, and the joint evolution of resistance and tolerance (as well as escape through autumn germination) in acorns may be the selective consequences driven in part by interactions with insect seed predators.     

Effects of asynchronous acorn production by co-occurring <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus</Emphasis> trees on resource utilization by acorn-feeding insects

To clarify the effects of asynchronous seed production among tree species on the population of seed predators, we investigated the relationship between the annual variation in production of mature acorns and the insect damage in those acorns of two sympatric oak species, Quercus variabilis Blume and Quercus serrata Thunb. ex Murray, over 4 years at two study sites. The annual variation in acorn production was noticeable, with a coefficient of variation (CV) at the two sites of 1.05 and 0.80 for Q. variabilis and 0.87 and 0.73 for Q. serrata. Annual fluctuation in acorn production by Q. serrata was synchronized between the two sites. Since annual fluctuation in acorn production was not synchronized between the two species, the CVs for the total acorn production by both oak species (0.83 and 0.62 at the two sites) were lower than those for Q. variabilis and Q. serrata alone. The rate of predation by the specialist predators (Curculio weevils) on the acorns of both species was not related to the annual acorn crop size. Prolonged diapause of Curculio weevils might stabilize their populations. The rate of acorn predation by the generalist predators (tortricid moths) was also not related to the annual crop size. Asynchronous acorn production by the two oak species would help to stabilize the population.     

How we improved a landscape study of species richness of beetles in woodland key habitats, and how model output can be improved

In an earlier study (Franc et al., 2007), local species richness of saproxylic oak beetles (including red-listed beetles) in forests was predicted mainly by the landscape (area of woodland key habitat within 1 km of plots). Such results are important for conservation work, but need to be backed up well, for reliable advice. We tested a two-stage method that improved our earlier models and our advice for conservation planning. We studied temperate mixed forest, rich in oaks Quercus robur/Quercus petraea, in a large landscape in Sweden. Franc et al. (2007) analysed 21 forests. Here we selected the significant explanatory variables (predictors) and other biologically relevant predictors, used the earlier 21 forests and sampled 11 new forests such that we expanded the range on the axes of the predictors. We collected in total 320 species of saproxylic oak beetles (23,137 individuals) of which 65 and 38 were red-listed (IUCN criteria, Swedish list 2000 and 2005, respectively). We partly confirmed our original results, but the results also changed in important ways: local species richness is now predicted by a combination of local, landscape and regional factors. Moreover, a local variable (dead wood) was the main predictor of saproxylic oak beetles (all species included), while for red-listed saproxylic oak beetles the landscape (woodland key habitat within 1 km of plots) was the main predictor, of local species richness. Thus, species richness of red-listed saproxylic oak beetles seems to depend mainly on landscapes factors, while total species richness of saproxylic oak beetles seems to depend more on local stand factors. We conclude that a two-stage research design can be useful in landscape and conservation studies, especially for species-rich taxa that require large samples per site.     

Using a retrospective dynamic competition index to reconstruct forest succession

Understanding forest dynamics and stand structures is crucial for predicting forest succession. However, many forests have been altered due to century-long land-use practices, which complicates the reconstruction of past and current successional trajectories. For a better understanding of successional processes, we suggest studying the intra- and interspecific competition among single trees across time. We introduce a tree-ring based competition index to reconstruct the competitive dynamics of individual trees over time. This new retrospective dynamic competition index combines a temporal and a spatial component by calculating the yearly ratio between the basal area increments (bai) of the neighbouring trees and the subject tree. The new index is applied to mixed Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.) stands in the inner-Alpine dry-valley Valais, for which a change in species composition is hypothesised. The aim is to analyse current stand structures in terms of recent changes in the competitive interactions at the single tree level and to relate these competitive dynamics to land-use change and increasing drought due to climate change. On five plots, the positions of 456 trees were recorded and increment cores were taken to derive bai data. The individual dynamic competition index curves were aggregated in clusters, which define typical patterns of competitive dynamics in both tree species. A large percentage of the trees (87% in oak, 70% in pine) were clustered into a group of trees with constant competition at a relatively low level. However, a smaller group of pines (20%) had recently faced increasing competition. In addition, stand structure analyses indicated a change towards a higher proportion of oak. This change in the competitive ability between oak and pine was found to be related to drought, in that oak had a competitive advantage in dry years. Furthermore, the high proportion of dead branches in pines with decreasing competitive abilities indicated increasing competition for light as a consequence of natural development towards a later successional stage that favours the more shade-tolerant oak. The new retrospective dynamic competition index proved to be promising in studying forest succession. The tree-ring based method allows us to identify changes in the competitive ability of single trees with a high temporal resolution and without repeated assessments.     

Driving factors for natural tree rejuvenation in anthropogenic pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests of NE Germany

The rejuvenation ecology of three main tree species in anthropogenic pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests is explored in our study. We focus on the scale of micro-plots, which provide the safe sites for tree rejuvenation. We thrive on the multi-factorial relationship of tree establishment and driving ecological factors using a large dataset from pine stands in NE Germany and applying multivariate analyses. The success of the establishment of the investigated focal tree species Fagus sylvatica L., Quercus petraea Liebl. and Pinus sylvestris L. is, on general, mostly affected by three factors, i.e. water balance of the upper soil layers, browsing pressure, and diaspore sources. Our investigations on the micro-plot scale revealed species-specific differences. For beech saplings <50 cm growth height, primarily the availability of water, indicated by available water capacity (AWC), thickness, quality, and structure of the organic layer, silt and humus content in the topsoil, and the lack of a dense competitive herb layer, were identified as most important factors. On the contrary, oak seems hardly be restricted by hydrologic and/or trophic deficits in the topsoil or humus layer. In conclusion and comparison to Fagus sylvatica L., we assume for Quercus petraea Liebl. advantages in natural regeneration processes under sub-continental climate conditions and thus under the scenarios of climate change. Pinus sylvestris L. regeneration in our investigation area occurs only in a narrow niche. We conclude with regard to future forest development and the objective of stand conversion with low management intensity that oak should be favoured within natural stand regeneration.     

Change in oak abundance in the eastern United States from 1980 to 2008

Although oaks (Quercus spp.) have historically dominated much of the forest land in eastern North America, a great deal of fragmentary and sometimes anecdotal evidence suggests that they have been yielding dominance in recent decades to other, typically more shade-tolerant species. Using FIA data, our work formally quantifies the change in oak abundance in the eastern U.S. during the period of 1980-2008. The results indicate that most areas in the eastern U.S. experienced some decline in oak abundance, but the decrease was not universal either geographically or among species. Declines were especially marked in the Central Hardwood Region, which lost oak abundance on 81% its forested area as measured by importance value (IV). Areas with a high oak abundance were more likely to see a reduction in abundance. Among all 25 species analyzed, eight species decreased significantly in IV while two increased. Both the top two most prevalent white oak species (white oak (Quercus alba) and post oak (Quercus stellata)) and red oak species (northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and black oak (Quercus velutina)) had significant decreases in density and IV. Water oak (Quercus nigra) is one of the red oak species that had a near universal increase of its abundance throughout its native range (83% of area). This study provided a comprehensive quantification of the dynamic of oak species in a regional-wide geographic context, which will provoke forest researchers and managers to revisit the oak decline problem by using knowledge from other regions and other species.     

Drought matters - Declining precipitation influences growth of Fagus sylvatica L. and Quercus robur L. in north-eastern Germany

For north-eastern Germany regional climate models project rising temperatures in combination with decreasing summer and increasing winter precipitation. The resulting overall drier conditions during the growing season will considerably impact forest growth there. We evaluate the consequences of increasing drought on the growth of the two locally most important broadleaf tree species common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.). Three mixed forests of beech and oak were sampled along a west-east gradient of declining precipitation. In total we used 257 ring-width samples from 133 trees to build six species and site specific chronologies. Additionally, we modelled the soil water budget for each site. We performed continuous and discontinuous (pointer year) analysis of climate-tree-growth relationships with particular emphasis on inter-annual-variations and their dependence upon climatic factors (temperature, precipitation, soil moisture) and on the stability of the obtained relationships. Results of climate-growth correlations together with pointer year analysis indicate a strong dependency of growth of both species from water availability, especially during early summer (June and July). General correlation pattern between growth and climate are similar for both species, but climate sensitivity of beech is generally higher. We identified drought as the main driver of negative growth depressions in both species. Increasing drought stress along the gradient is expressed in higher correlations to climatic variables, higher sensitivity (variance) of growth, and a higher number of negative pointer years for both species. For beech we also found a significant trend of decreasing average growth rates along the gradient. Growth superiority of beech compared to oak declines with decreasing precipitation. The relationships were generally stable throughout the 20th century. A rise of sensitivity together with a higher frequency of negative pointer years during the last decades suggests that increasing climatic variability together with rising temperatures might be influencing growth of Fagus at the more humid sites. If we substitute space by time it seems that already small changes in precipitation regime can have considerable impact, especially on the growth of beech. Other, more drought tolerant species like oak might gain competitive advantages under the projected climatic changes.