Changes in plant diversity and water use efficiency during the restoration process of subtropical forests
The disturbed forest system can be restored through a series of succession,where changes in plant species diversity serve as an important indicator for evaluating the successional progress.Meanwhile,the water use efficiency of plants provides a direct measure to understand the impact of soil moisture conditions on forest recovery.Therefore,analyzing the differences in plant diversity and water use efficiency during forest recovery(succession)processes is of significant importance for understanding the controlling factors of forest recovery and the conservation and sustainable development of forest ecosystems.However,most of the relevant studies in China have focused on temperate continental mountainous climatic zones,while the water-thermal conditions in subtropical forest zones are distinctly different,and related research in these areas is still relatively scarce.To address this research gap,we conducted a study in the Xiaozhaizigou Nature Reserve,located in Sichuan,China,an area significantly affected by both human and natural disturbances.We performed traditional vegetation surveys and employed biodiversity indices,including Simpson's index,Berger-Parker index,and Shannon's index,to assess the patterns of species diversity changes in different forest types during vegetation succession.Additionally,we utilized stable carbon isotope analysis of leaf samples to investigate the variations in water use efficiency among three forest types(primary forest,secondary forest,and plantation)at different stages of succession.Our findings revealed distinct stage-specific differences in forest succession among different forest types.The primary forest exhibited the highest stage during succession;however,its vegetation growth was limited by water stress and nitrogen competition.The plantation displayed the lowest species diversity,primarily attributed to the dominance of certain species and nitrogen competition acting as the primary controlling factor for vegetation growth.In contrast,the secondary forest,characterized by a longer recovery time,reached a higher stage of succession,benefiting from sufficient nitrogen and water supply,which resulted in accelerated vegetation growth.This study underscores the significance of analyzing plant diversity dynamics and water use efficiency during forest succession to gain insights into the controlling factors of forest recovery and facilitate effective conservation and sustainable development of subtropical forest ecosystems.Further research in subtropical regions is warranted to enhance our understanding of restoration mechanisms and optimize restoration strategies in these ecologically important areas.
万方数据
维普
