Stable reverse J-shaped diameter distribution occurs in an old-growth karst forest

doi:10.1007/s11676-024-01763-1

Abstract

Abstract:

The reverse J-shaped diameter distribution is considered an inherent attribute of natural forests, crucial for forest resource utilization and community stability. However, in karst regions, intense habitat heterogeneity might alter species composition, spatial distribution, growth, biomass allocation, and mortality processes, yet its impact on diameter structure remains unclear. A fixed plot of 200 m × 110 m was established in the Nanpan River Basin, Southwest China, within an old-growth oak forest (> 300 years old), and the influence of site substrates (i.e., rock and soil), topographic factors, sample area, and orientation on diameter distribution was analyzed. Trees on both rock and soil exhibited a reverse-J shape, quantifiable through the Weibull function. The substrates had a similar density, approximately 2100 plants/ha. However, the average and range of diameter of trees on rock were smaller than those on soil, suggesting that rock constrains tree growth. The diameter distribution of trees across microtopography also displayed a reverse-J shape. Yet, higher elevations and sunny slopes showed a greater curvature of diameter classes compared to lower elevations and shady slopes, indicating habitat preferences in karst trees. Sample area and orientation had minimal effects on diameter class curve that reached stability when the plot size was 6000 m². These results suggest that the reverse J-shaped diameter distribution prevails at small scales in karst old-growth forests, encompassing multiple curvatures and spanning forest ecosystems.

Key words: Old-growth forest, Diameter distribution, Karst, Habitat heterogeneity, Microtopography

Yuanfa Li, Jie Li, Liting Wei. Stable reverse J-shaped diameter distribution occurs in an old-growth karst forest[J]. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH, 2024, 35(1): 107-.

Yuanfa Li, Jie Li, Liting Wei. [J]. 林业研究(英文版), 2024, 35(1): 107-.

References 57

1	Alessandrini A, Biondi F, Di Filippo A, Ziaco E, Piovesan G. Tree size distribution at increasing spatial scales converges to the rotated sigmoid curve in two old-growth beech stands of the Italian Apennines. For Ecol Manag, 2011, 262(11): 1950-1962, DOI
2	Bankston JB, Sabatia CO, Poudel KP. Effects of sample plot size and prediction models on diameter distribution recovery. For Sci, 2021, 67(3): 245-255, DOI
3	Bastias CC, Truchado DA, Valladares F, Benavides R, Bouriaud O, Bruelheide H, Coppi A, Finér L, Gimeno TE, Jaroszewicz B, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Selvi F, De la Cruz M. Species richness influences the spatial distribution of trees in European forests. Oikos, 2020, 129(3): 380-390, DOI
4	Buongiorno J, Dahir S, Lu HC, Lin CR. Tree size diversity and economic returns in uneven-aged forest stands. For Sci, 1994, 40(1): 83-103, DOI
5	Coomes DA, Allen RB. Mortality and tree-size distributions in natural mixed-age forests. J Ecol, 2007, 95(1): 27-40, DOI
6	Dixon PM, Weiner J, Mitchell-Olds T, Woodley R. Bootstrapping the Gini coefficient of inequality. Ecology, 1987, 68(5): 1548-1551, DOI
7	Do TV, Sato T, Saito S, Kozan O, Yamagawa H, Nagamatsu D, Nishimura N, Manabe T. Effects of micro-topographies on stand structure and tree species diversity in an old-growth evergreen broad-leaved forest, southwestern Japan. Glob Ecol Conserv, 2015, 4: 185-196, DOI
8	do Carmo FF, de Campos IC, Jacobi CM. Effects of fine-scale surface heterogeneity on rock outcrop plant community structure. J Veg Sci, 2016, 27(1): 50-59, DOI
9	Engone Obiang NL, Kenfack D, Picard N, Lutz JA, Bissiengou P, Memiaghe HR, Alonso A. Determinants of spatial patterns of canopy tree species in a tropical evergreen forest in Gabon. J Veg Sci, 2019, 30(5): 929-939, DOI
10	Enquist BJ, Niklas KJ. Invariant scaling relations across tree-dominated communities. Nature, 2001, 410(6829): 655-660, DOI
11	Fazlollahi Mohammadi M, Tobin B, Jalali SG, Kooch Y, Riemann R. Fine-scale topographic influence on the spatial distribution of tree species diameter in old-growth beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky.) forests, northern Iran. Sci Rep, 2022, 12: 7633, DOI
12	Franklin JF, Mitchell RJ, Palik BJ (2007) Natural disturbance and stand development principles for ecological forestry. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-19. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, p 44. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-19
13	Getzin S, Wiegand T, Wiegand K, He FL. Heterogeneity influences spatial patterns and demographics in forest stands. J Ecol, 2008, 96(4): 807-820, DOI
14	Goff FG, West D. Canopy-understory interaction effects on forest population structure. For Sci, 1975, 21(2): 98-108, DOI
15	Guo YL, Wang B, Li DX, Mallik AU, Xiang WS, Ding T, Wen SJ, Lu SH, Huang FZ, He YL, Li XK. Effects of topography and spatial processes on structuring tree species composition in a diverse heterogeneous tropical karst seasonal rainforest. Flora, 2017, 231: 21-28, DOI
16	Guo YL, Chen HYH, Mallik AU, Wang B, Li DX, Xiang WS, Li XK. Predominance of abiotic drivers in the relationship between species diversity and litterfall production in a tropical karst seasonal rainforest. For Ecol Manag, 2019, 449: 117452, DOI
17	Hui G, Pommerening A. Analysing tree species and size diversity patterns in multi-species uneven-aged forests of Northern China. For Ecol Manag, 2014, 316: 125-138, DOI
18	Hui GY, Zhang GG, Zhao ZH, Yang AM. Methods of forest structure research: a review. Curr for Rep, 2019, 5(3): 142-154, DOI
19	Janowiak MK, Nagel LM, Webster CR. Spatial scale and stand structure in northern hardwood forests: implications for quantifying diameter distributions. For Sci, 2008, 54(5): 497-506, DOI
20	Keren S, Diaci J, Motta R, Govedar Z. Stand structural complexity of mixed old-growth and adjacent selection forests in the Dinaric Mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For Ecol Manag, 2017, 400: 531-541, DOI
21	Lähde E, Laiho O, Norokorpi Y. Diversity-oriented silviculture in the Boreal Zone of Europe. For Ecol Manag, 1999, 118(1–3): 223-243, DOI
22	Leak WB. Long-term structural change in uneven-aged northern hardwoods. For Sci, 1996, 42(2): 160-165, DOI
23	Lexerød NL, Eid T. An evaluation of different diameter diversity indices based on criteria related to forest management planning. For Ecol Manag, 2006, 222(1–3): 17-28, DOI
24	Li YF, Ye SM, Hui GY, Hu YB, Zhao ZH. Spatial structure of timber harvested according to structure-based forest management. For Ecol Manag, 2014, 322: 106-116, DOI
25	Li J, Zhang LJ, Li YF. Exposed rock reduces tree size, but not diversity. Front Plant Sci, 2022, 13: 851781, DOI
26	Li YF, Ye SM, Luo YH, Yu SF, Zhang GQ. Relationship between species diversity and tree size in natural forests around the Tropic of Cancer. J for Res, 2023, 34(6): 1735-1745, DOI
27	Liu CC, Liu YG, Guo K, Li GQ, Zheng YR, Yu LF, Yang R. Comparative ecophysiological responses to drought of two shrub and four tree species from karst habitats of southwestern China. Trees, 2011, 25(3): 537-549, DOI
28	Liu LB, Ni J, Zhong QL, Hu G, Zhang ZH. High mortality and low net change in live woody biomass of karst evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest in southwestern China. Forests, 2018, 9(5): 263, DOI
29	Lorimer CG. Age structure and disturbance history of a southern Appalachian virgin forest. Ecology, 1980, 61(5): 1169-1184, DOI
30	Meyer HA. Structure, growth, and drain in balanced uneven-aged forests. J for, 1952, 50(2): 85-92, DOI
31	Moser JW. Specification of density for the inverse J-shaped diameter distribution. For Sci, 1976, 22(2): 177-180, DOI
32	Nath CD, Dattaraja HS, Suresh HS, Joshi NV, Sukumar R. Patterns of tree growth in relation to environmental variability in the tropical dry deciduous forest at Mudumalai, southern India. J Biosci, 2006, 31(5): 651-669, DOI
33	Ni J, Luo DH, Xia J, Zhang ZH, Hu G. Vegetation in karst terrain of southwestern China allocates more biomass to roots. Solid Earth, 2015, 6(3): 799-810, DOI
34	Petritan AM, Biris IA, Merce O, Turcu DO, Petritan IC. Structure and diversity of a natural temperate sessile oak (Quercus petraea L.)–European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest. For Ecol Manag, 2012, 280: 140-149, DOI
35	Picard N, Gasparotto D. Liocourt’s law for tree diameter distribution in forest stands. Ann for Sci, 2016, 73(3): 751-755, DOI
36	Podlaski R. Diversity of patch structure in Central European forests: are tree diameter distributions in near-natural multilayered Abies-Fagus stands heterogeneous?. Ecol Res, 2010, 25(3): 599-608, DOI
37	Podlaski R. Forest modelling: the gamma shape mixture model and simulation of tree diameter distributions. Ann for Sci, 2017, 74(2): 29, DOI
38	Pond NC, Froese RE. Interpreting stand structure through diameter distributions. For Sci, 2015, 61(3): 429-437, DOI
39	Qi YJ, Zhang GQ, Luo GL, Yang TL, Wu QC. Community-level consequences of harsh environmental constraints based on spatial patterns analysis in karst primary forest of southwest China. For Ecol Manag, 2021, 488: 119021, DOI
40	Qi YJ, Zhang T, Yu L, Li YQ, Zhang GQ. Spatial patterns of community-level sprouting in a karst old-growth forest of southwest China. For Ecol Manag, 2022, 523: 120516, DOI
41	Ralston R, Buongiorno J, Fried JS. Potential yield, return, and tree diversity of managed, uneven-aged Douglas-fir stands. Silva Fenn, 2004, 38(1): 55-70, DOI
42	Rouvinen S, Kuuluvainen T. Tree diameter distributions in natural and managed old Pinus sylvestris-dominated forests. For Ecol Manag, 2005, 208(1–3): 45-61, DOI
43	Rubin BD, Manion PD, Faber-Langendoen D. Diameter distributions and structural sustainability in forests. For Ecol Manag, 2006, 222(1–3): 427-438, DOI
44	Sa QL, Jin XJ, Pukkala T, Li FR. Developing Weibull-based diameter distributions for the major coniferous species in Heilongjiang Province. China J for Res, 2023, 34(6): 1803-1815, DOI
45	Schmelz DV, Lindsey AA. Size-class structure of old-growth forests in Indiana. For Sci, 1965, 11(3): 258-264, DOI
46	Spathelf P, Durlo MA. Transition matrix for modeling the dynamics of a subtropical seminatural forest in southern Brazil. For Ecol Manag, 2001, 151(1–3): 139-149, DOI
47	Spies TA. Forest structure: a key to the ecosystem. Northwest Sci, 1998, 72(SI2): 34-39
48	Sterba JH, Sterba H. The semi-logarithmic stem number distribution and the Gini-index- structural diversity in “balanced” dbh-distributions. Austrian J Sci, 2018, 135(1): 19-31
49	Ulak S, Ghimire K, Gautam R, Bhandari SK, Poudel KP, Timilsina YP, Pradhan D, Subedi T. Predicting the upper stem diameters and volume of a tropical dominant tree species. J Res, 2022, 33(6): 1725-1737, DOI
50	Vauhkonen J, Mehtätalo L. Matching remotely sensed and field-measured tree size distributions. Can J Res, 2015, 45(3): 353-363, DOI
51	Wang XG, Hao ZQ, Zhang J, Lian JY, Li BH, Ye J, Yao XL. Tree size distributions in an old-growth temperate forest. Oikos, 2009, 118(1): 25-36, DOI
52	Weiner J, Solbrig OT. The meaning and measurement of size hierarchies in plant populations. Oecologia, 1984, 61(3): 334-336, DOI
53	Westphal C, Tremer N, von Oheimb G, Hansen J, von Gadow K, Härdtle W. Is the reverse J-shaped diameter distribution universally applicable in European virgin beech forests?. For Ecol Manag, 2006, 223(1–3): 75-83, DOI
54	Zhang LJ, Liu CM. Fitting irregular diameter distributions of forest stands by Weibull, modified Weibull, and mixture Weibull models. J for Res, 2006, 11(5): 369-372, DOI
55	Zhang Z, Hu G, Zhu J, Ni J. Stand structure, woody species richness and composition of subtropical karst forests in Maolan, south-west China. J Trop for Sci, 2012, 24: 498-506
56	Zhang ZH, Hu G, Ni J. Effects of topographical and edaphic factors on the distribution of plant communities in two subtropical karst forests, southwestern China. J Mt Sci, 2013, 10(1): 95-104, DOI
57	Zlatanov T, Schleppi P, Velichkov I, Hinkov G, Georgieva M, Eggertsson O, Zlatanova M, Vacik H. Structural diversity of abandoned chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) dominated forests: Implications for forest management. For Ecol Manag, 2013, 291: 326-335, DOI

[1]	Şükrü Teoman Güner, Maria J. Diamantopoulou, Ramazan Özçelik. Diameter distributions in Pinus sylvestris L. stands: evaluating modelling approaches including a machine learning technique [J]. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH, 2023, 34(6): 1829-1842.
[2]	Vinicius Costa Cysneiros, Allan Libanio Pelissari, Sylvio Pellico Netto, Sebastião do Amaral Machado, Afonso Figueiredo Filho. Population structure of Araucaria angustifolia under distinct forest protection status: implications for management and conservation [J]. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH, 2023, 34(5): 1437-1446.
[3]	Liang Su, Hu Du, Fuping Zeng, Wanxia Peng, Hua Wang, Kelin Wang, Menzhen Lu, Tongqing Song. Environmental and spatial contributions to tree community assembly across life stages and scales in evergreen-deciduous broadleaf karst forests, southwest China [J]. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH, 2023, 34(5): 1323-1331.
[4]	Yahya Kooch, Neda Ghorbanzadeh, Samaneh Hajimirzaaghaee, Markus Egli. Soil functional indicators in mixed beech forests are clearly species-specific [J]. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH, 2023, 34(4): 1033-1049.
[5]	JeriLynn E. Peck, Eric K. Zenner. Sub-stand diameter distribution types vary along an old-growth Douglas-fir chronosequence into the horizontal diversification development stage [J]. JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH, 2023, 34(2): 415-424.