Forest Ecology A.G. Van der Valk Editor Forest Ecology Recent Advances in Plant Ecology Previously published in Plant Ecology Volume 201, Issue 1, 2009 123 Editor A.G. Van der Valk Iowa State University Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology 141 Bessey Hall Ames IA 50011-1020 USA Cover illustration: Cover photo image: Courtesy of Photos.com All rights reserved. Library of Congress Control Number: 2009927489 DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-2795-5 ISBN: 978-90-481-2794-8 e-ISBN: 978-90-481-2795-5 Printed on acid-free paper. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, B.V. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. springer.com Contents Quantitative classification and carbon density of the forest vegetation in Lüliang Mountains of China X. Zhang, M. Wang & X. Liang . 1–9 Effects of introduced ungulates on forest understory communities in northern Patagonia are modified by timing and severity of stand mortality M.A. Relva, C.L. Westerholm & T. Kitzberger . 11–22 Tree species richness and composition 15 years after strip clear-cutting in the Peruvian Amazon X.J. Rondon, D.L. Gorchov & F. Cornejo . 23–37 Changing relationships between tree growth and climate in Northwest China Y. Zhang, M. Wilmking & X. Gou . 39–50 Does leaf-level nutrient-use efficiency explain Nothofagus-dominance of some tropical rain forests in New Caledonia? A. Chatain, J. Read & T. Jaffré . 51–66 Dendroecological study of a subalpine fir (Abies fargesii) forest in the Qinling Mountains, China H. Dang, M. Jiang, Y. Zhang, G. Dang & Q. Zhang . 67–75 A conceptual model of sprouting responses in relation to fire damage: an example with cork oak (Quercus suber L.) trees in Southern Portugal F. Moreira, F. Catry, I. Duarte, V. Acácio & J.S. Silva . 77–85 Non-woody life-form contribution to vascular plant species richness in a tropical American forest R. Linares-Palomino, V. Cardona, E.I. Hennig, I. Hensen, D. Hoffmann, J. Lendzion, D. Soto, S.K. Herzog & M. Kessler . 87–99 Relationships between spatial configuration of tropical forest patches and woody plant diversity in northeastern Puerto Rico I.T. Galanes & J.R. Thomlinson . 101–113 Vascular diversity patterns of forest ecosystem before and after a 43-year interval under changing climate conditions in the Changbaishan Nature Reserve, northeastern China W. Sang & F. Bai . 115–130 Gap-scale disturbance processes in secondary hardwood stands on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee, USA J.L. Hart & H.D. Grissino-Mayer . 131–146 Plurality of tree species responses to drought perturbation in Bornean tropical rain forest D.M. Newbery & M. Lingenfelder . 147–167 Red spruce forest regeneration dynamics across a gradient from Acadian forest to old field in Greenwich, Prince Edward Island National Park, Canada N. Cavallin & L. Vasseur . 169–180 Distance- and density-dependent seedling mortality caused by several diseases in eight tree species co-occurring in a temperate forest M. Yamazaki, S. Iwamoto & K. Seiwa . 181–196 Response of native Hawaiian woody species to lava-ignited wildfires in tropical forests and shrub- lands A. Ainsworth & J. Boone Kauffman . 197–209 Evaluating different harvest intensities over understory plant diversity and pine seedlings, in a Pinus pinaster Ait. natural stand of Spain J. González-Alday, C. Martínez-Ruiz & F. Bravo . 211–220 Land-use history affects understorey plant species distributions in a large temperate-forest complex, Denmark J.-C. Svenning, K.H. Baktoft & H. Balslev . 221–234 Short-term responses of the understory to the removal of plant functional groups in the cold-temperate deciduous forest A. Lenière & G. Houle . 235–245 Host trait preferences and distribution of vascular epiphytes in a warm-temperate forest A. Hirata, T. Kamijo & S. Saito . 247–254 Seed bank composition and above-ground vegetation in response to grazing in sub-Mediterranean oak forests (NW Greece) E. Chaideftou, C.A. Thanos, E. Bergmeier, A. Kallimanis & P. Dimopoulos . 255–265 On the detection of dynamic responses in a drought-perturbed tropical rainforest in Borneo M. Lingenfelder & D.M. Newbery . 267–290 Changes in tree and liana communities along a successional gradient in a tropical dry forest in south-eastern Brazil B.G. Madeira, M.M. Espírito-Santo, S. D’Ângelo Neto, Y.R.F. Nunes, G. Arturo Sánchez Azofeifa, G. Wilson Fernandes & M. Quesada . 291–304 Woody plant composition of forest layers: the importance of environmental conditions and spatial configuration M. Gonzalez, M. Deconchat & G. Balent . 305–318 The importance of clonal growth to the recovery of Gaultheria procumbens L. (Ericaceae) after forest disturbance F.M. Moola & L. Vasseur . 319–337 Species richness and resilience of forest communities: combined effects of short-term disturbance and long-term pollution M.R. Trubina . 339–350 Hurricane disturbance in a temperate deciduous forest: patch dynamics, tree mortality, and coarse woody detritus R.T. Busing, R.D. White, M.E. Harmon & P.S. White . 351–363 Quantitative classification and carbon density of the forest vegetation in Lu¨liang Mountains of China Xianping Zhang Æ Mengben Wang Æ Xiaoming Liang Originally published in the journal Plant Ecology, Volume 201, No. 1, 1–9. DOI: 10.1007/s11258-008-9507-x Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008 Abstract Forests play a major role in global carbon the 9 forest formations was 32.09 Mg ha-1 in 2000 (C) cycle, and the carbon density (CD) could reflect and 33.86 Mg ha-1 in 2005. Form. Picea meyeri had its ecological function of C sequestration. Study on the highest CD (56.48 Mg ha-1), and Form. Quercus the CD of different forest types on a community scale liaotungensis ? Acer mono had the lowest CD is crucial to characterize in depth the capacity of (16.14 Mg ha-1). Pre-mature forests and mature forest C sequestration. In this study, based on the forests were very important stages in C sequestration forest inventory data of 168 field plots in the study among four age classes in these formations. Forest area (E 111°300–113°500,N37°300–39°400), the densities, average age of forest stand, and elevation forest vegetation was classified by using quantitative had positive relationships with forest CD, while slope method (TWINSPAN); the living biomass of trees location had negative correlation with forest CD. was estimated using the volume-derived method; the CD of different forest types was estimated from the Keywords TWINSPAN Á Carbon density Á biomass of their tree species; and the effects of biotic Volume-derived method Á Forest vegetation Á and abiotic factors on CD were studied using a China multiple linear regression analysis. The results show that the forest vegetation in this region could be classified into 9 forest formations. The average CD of Introduction Forests play a major role in global carbon (C) cycle X. Zhang Á M. Wang (&) (Dixon et al. 1994; Wang 1999) because they store Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, 580 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, 80% of the global aboveground C of the vegetation People’s Republic of China and about 40% of the soil C and interact with e-mail: [email protected] atmospheric processes through the absorption and respiration of CO2 (Brown et al. 1999; Houghton X. Zhang Shanxi Forestry Vocational Technological College, et al. 2001a, b; Goodale and Apps 2002). Enhancing Taiyuan 030009, People’s Republic of China C sequestration by increasing forestland area has been suggested as an effective measure to mitigate X. Liang elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concen- Guandi Mountain State-Owned Forest Management Bureau of Shanxi Province, Jiaocheng, Lishi 032104, tration and hence contribute toward the prevention of People’s Republic of China global warming (Watson 2000). Recent researches A.G. Van der Valk (ed.), Forest Ecology. DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-2795-5_1 1 2 A.G. Van der Valk (ed.) focus mainly on carbon storage of forest ecosystem Methods on landscape or regional scale (Fang et al. 2001; Hiura 2005; Zhao and Zhou 2006). Many studies Study region have shown that the C sequestration abilities of different forests change considerably, which can be The study was conducted in the middle-north of well explained by their CD values (Wei et al. 2007; Lu¨liang Mountains (E 111°300–113°500,N37°300 Hu and Liu 2006). Meanwhile the C storage of forests –39°400) with its peak (Xiaowen Mountain) 2831 m may change substantially with forest ecosystems on a above sea level (asl). The temperate terrestrial climate community scale. This type of moderate-scale is characterized by a warm summer, a cold winter, and research into the C storage of forests, however, has a short growing season (90–130 days) with a mean been rarely conducted. annual precipitation of 330–650 mm and a mean Many methods have been used to estimate the annual temperature of 8.5°C (min. monthly mean of biomass of forest vegetation (Houghton et al. 2001a, -7.6°C in January and max. monthly mean of 22.5°C b). Among them, the volume-derived method has in July). The soils from mountain top to foot are been commonly used (Brown and Lugo 1984; Fang mountain meadow soil, mountain brown soil, moun- et al. 1996; Fang and Wang 2001). Forest volume tain alfisol cinnamon soil, and mountain cinnamon production reflects the effects of the influencing soil (The Editing Committee of Shanxi Forest 1984).