23 Hyogo University of Teacher Education Journal Vol. 15, Ser. 3, (1995) Analysis of Forest Ecosystems: Vertical structure of Woody Plants and Mushrooms in Evergreen Broad-leaved Forests Osamu YAMAGUCHI and Yoko TSUCHIDA* (Received September 20, 1994) ABSTRACT tinct crown heights. They make so-called stratifi- cation in cosequence of competition and habitat A total of twenty-one mature evergreen broad- segregation (Whittaker, 1975). Usually there are leaved forests were examined for woody plants and four or five layers of branch territory (Nakanishi mushrooms therein in refernce to analysis of verti- et al., 1983). These vertical layers provide specific cal structure. A total of 167 woody plants and a and corresponding niches to the aminals, fungi and total of 128 mushroom species were analyzed for bacteria therein. Habitat segregation especially in their fruit types and colors. Canopy trees have dry vetrtical distribution is expected. Here in this and brownish fruits. The trees of the undertree article, some characteristics of vertical structure of layer have juicy and purple fruits. The trees of the woody plants and mushrooms are described in shrub and grass layers have Iuicy and red fruits. equilibrium evergreen broad-leaved forests. The vertical separation of niches in woody plants is reflected also into that of fungi. Mushroom color MATERIALS AND METHODS is arranged to three color types of brownish, purple, and red patterns in this order of vertical Study sites: Evergreen broad-leaved forests are distribution. preserved m primeval state in some restricted areas of our country. Most of them are assigned as INTRODUCTION natural monuments although they are not in exten- sive area. Most of them are histroncally attached Ecosystem is composed of three functional forests to shines or to temples. A total of twenty- groups of organisms as well as inorganic matters, one such forests are chosen in the western part of namely, green plants as producers, animals includ- Honshu. They are listed in Table 1. Thirteen of ing insects as consumers, and fungi and bacteria as them are of natural monuments (Numata, 1984). reducers or decomposers. One of the typical terre- Two are of Hyogo prefectural monuments. The strial ecosystems is a forest. Huge woody plants remainig six are not assigned yet to monument, and well developed forest crown is also a symbol of however the vegetation is quite similar to the the abundance and diversity of lives of consumers former and is in equilibrium state (Iwabuchi et al., and decomposers. The crown reaches forty meters 1994). The examinaton of vegetation and the in height in the central part of our country. That mushroom survey was done from October of 1989 enables the mass of lives to separate their niches to April of 1994. A quadrat measuring 20 x 20 one another. At present, there are mainly six types meters was built at each forest. All the forest of forest ecosystems in our country; subtropical trees with height of more than 0.3 meters were rain forest, evergreen broad-leaved forest, scored after identification. In some forests, the substitutional forest dominated by pines and de- vegetation was refered from Numata(1984) and ciduous oaks, summer green forest, coniferous Miyawaki (1981). They are further divided into forest, and windswept grassland. Especially in four layers; tree layer (Bl), undertree layer (B2), equilibrium and climax forests, the woody plants shrub layer (S), and grass layer (K) accoring to are divided into some layers according to its dis- Nakanishi et al. (1983). Fruits and seeds were also Department of Biology, Hyogo University of Teacher Education, Yashiro, Hyogo 673-14, Japan. 'Present address: Takahira Elementary School, Shimozato, Sanda, Hyogo 669-14 Table 1. Summary of main vegetation in tlJenty-one cl imax evergreen broad-一eaved forests examined. Forest Kuki Kasuga Kasuga Hase- Oo柑此0・ Nyuuga- Kinuaaki Yagu叫o Tairyu- Taisanji SuI蝣i- Ootoshi Suai- Su♯卜Oohi Kurata- Oonon卜Matsu- Hakuto Shi孔tki Hot凱・・ taisha dera chi uakani j i yoshi l yoshi2 yoshi3 bchinan nosukune gaai鵬saki Shrine Shrine Shrine Te叩Ie Shrine Shrine Shrine Shrine Te岬Ie Tenple Shrine Shrine Shrine Shrine Shrine Shrine Shrine Shrir妃Shrine H川Te叫Ie P refectu re Waka一喝u - Mie yaia Nara Nara Nara Nara Hyogo Hyogo Hyo80 Hyogo Hyogo Hyogo Hyogo Hyogo Hyogo Tottori Tottori Tottori Tottori chi Kochi Tree lave「 Ndoarpus. ncroptiyllus O 0 0 0 0 0 Podocirpus nisi 0 0 0000000 血′chis thunbergii O O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 000 Cinntioiui coiphon O O 0 0 0 L i (sea coreum 0 0 0 0 0 血stmopsis sieboldiiO O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 lおtinopsis c脚/'血La 0 0 0 0 Ouercus si licini 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 加I・e〟'S gliua O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 auercas icuti 0 uuercus sessi lifolia. 0 0 0 0 0 ○ DiPhniphy!!um te/Jsaanni iO 0 0 EHeocirtus sylvestris O Undertree 一ayer 0000 000 000000 000 000 000 0000 0000 000 0000 0000 0000 00000 00000 0000 000000 00000 Caielliz j&ponica 0 0 0 Cleyen japon/a 0 0 0 血<ryt jiponia 0 0 CinnzioMUl jtpom cui 0 0 Heolnsei sertcea Stiunton/a fiexiptoy/li Shrub 一ayer Illiciua inisitut O 00 00 ○ ○ 00 0000 ○ ○ 0 0 0000 iucubi japonica Ardisii creniti O O 0 chlonnthus sliber O O 血ess japonic* ○ Grass layer 00 00 000 Ardisia japonic! O 00 00 00 0000 Ardisn cnspi Tnchelospermit isiiticua 0 0 0 saanacanttius indicus O O 0 0 Tab一e 2. Similarity indeces (SI) in woody p一ant vegetation between fifteen cl iぬx evergreen broad-一eaved forests. Forests in Box A are classified as inland一七yped, and those in Box C are classified as seashore-typed. Box B is overlapped. Oona用0- Suni- Surai- YaguMO Taisanji Matsu- Oono胡i- Tairyu- Kurata- Hakuto Shiaiki Oohi Kuki Kasuga Hotsu- chi yoshi2 yoshi3 garni nosukune j i hachi船raisaki Shrir把Shrine Shrine Shrine Teuple Shrine Shrine Te岬Ie Shri肥Shril博H‖ ShrirだShrine Shrine Te町Ple Stratificationinevergreenbroad-1eavedforest o・3.- 00 .22ぶ.000 352部 0000 oo・&*v&認000ゥo R翁認知20000O 」88認3 oooゥo 琵琶[-/蝣--MSTooooo R32乃353 00000 243888 ooooo 8^8翁l 00000 万刀刃383 oooゥ0 3翁8538 00000 R<s班別3oooゥO 万ォ*cr㌶2 °°°°° Oona叫och i ・サ・I °ヽ°t一 '°°°° °°°°° Suni yosh i 2 ,_°°° Sum i yosh 1 3 ft-.mi. n: Taisanj i 0ハU<U (?ォn 000 Mォ<・CO I*-->C4000 Ta胡2 000 38S 000 29盟2 Matsugam i °°° °_° °'° Oonom t nosukune Tairyuji 00 43<rW't.000 A14A了 507 o、00088%知 C30C300 AT3月755 oocmr-coサーォ oooooo UWサM--=J-JT^MJ此COOOOOォNCN- Ku ratahach軸an ___l 蝣・・・I ・・・・・I °°°°°°l Hakuto Shizuki - Ooh i Kuki Kasu ga Hotsum i sak i h⊃ Cn 26 examined in that period. and Litsea japonica. While the inland-type is Analysis: Diversity and identity in woody characterized by Custanopsis cuspidata, Quercus plants between the forests was expressed by a salicma, Photima glabra, and Osmanthus quanty known as the similarity index, SI. The SI heterophyllus. In any forests, the verticul structure was defined as follows: SI - 2C/CA+B), where A was easily recognized, and it was made of four and B are the numbers of species observed at layers. forests A and B, respectively. C is the number of Stratification in flower color and fruit color: species observed in common (Odum, 1971). Blooming of evergreen oaks makes the forests golden yellow in the end of spring. Therefore, the RESULTS forests are easily recognisable by the color as well as by the high crowns. However, the trees in the Characteristics of stratification of vegetation undertree or shrub or grass layers do not always in evergreen broad-一eaved forests: Lucidophyllous bloom in spring, and their flower colors are also forest is characterized by some common trees. variable. Distribution of blooming seasons and Either Castanopsis sieboldii or C. cuspidata is the flower colors was examined in each layer of the most popular canopy tree. They are observed in above evergreen broad-leaved forests by using the nineteen forests out of twenty-one as shown in criteria of Hayashi (1985) and Satake et al. (1989). Table 1. Otherwise, other orks such as Quercus Flower color was described by atmosphere of each myrsinaefolia or Q. gilva replaced them presumably flower as a whole. This was not always the same due to a stochastic process. Camellia japonica and to the color of petals. The results are shown in Cleyera japonica are more characteristic and repre- Table 3. The majority of canopy trees bloom in sentative to the forests especially in undertree spring, and its mode of flower color is yellow. The layer. The former was observed in all the forests trees in undertree, shrub and grass layers bloom examined, and the latter was observed in the also in spring, but its flowing period is in more nineteen forests. Eurya japonica and Cinnamomum wide range including winter. The mode of flower iaponica are also quite popular in the undertree color is not yellowish but white. layers. Aucuba japonica is the most common tree Fruiting season, fruit color, and truit type in the shrub layers, and was observed in the four- was also examind in the same manner. The fruit teen.forests. Trachelospermum asiaticum was the type is defined whether it is an acorn coverd with most popular creeper vine in the grass layers, and dry hard skin or a soft fruit with juicy pulp. The was observed in the sixteen forests. The representa- fruiting season is concentrated in autumn for the tive woody plants to specific layers are summenzed canopy trees and the trees in the other layers. in Table 1. However, the latter has a more wide rage in fruit- Diversity in vegetion is seen rather in minor ing period. There were three major types of fruits groups of trees.