Neighbourhood Species Richness Reduces Crown Asymmetry of Subtropical Trees in Sloping Terrain
Reforestation in sloping terrain is an important measure for soil erosion control and sustainable watershed management. The mechanical stability of such reforested stands, however, can be low due to a strong asymmetric shape of tree crowns. We investigated how neighbourhood tree species richness, ne...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/6/1441 |
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| author | Maria D. Perles-Garcia Matthias Kunz Andreas Fichtner Nora Meyer Werner Härdtle Goddert von Oheimb |
| author_facet | Maria D. Perles-Garcia Matthias Kunz Andreas Fichtner Nora Meyer Werner Härdtle Goddert von Oheimb |
| author_sort | Maria D. Perles-Garcia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Reforestation in sloping terrain is an important measure for soil erosion control and sustainable watershed management. The mechanical stability of such reforested stands, however, can be low due to a strong asymmetric shape of tree crowns. We investigated how neighbourhood tree species richness, neighbourhood pressure, tree height, and slope inclination affect crown asymmetry in a large-scale plantation biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment in subtropical China (BEF-China) over eight years. We took the advantage of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) measurements, which provide non-destructive, high-resolution data of tree structure without altering tree interactions. Neighbourhood species richness significantly reduced crown asymmetry, and this effect became stronger at steeper slopes. Our results suggest that tree diversity promotes the mechanical stability of forest stands in sloping terrain and highlight the importance of TLS-data for a comprehensive understanding of the role of tree diversity in modulating crown interactions in mixed-species forest plantations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:45:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8511a8896c1a4b0c91fc430580d319c0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:45:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-8511a8896c1a4b0c91fc430580d319c02023-11-30T22:12:59ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-03-01146144110.3390/rs14061441Neighbourhood Species Richness Reduces Crown Asymmetry of Subtropical Trees in Sloping TerrainMaria D. Perles-Garcia0Matthias Kunz1Andreas Fichtner2Nora Meyer3Werner Härdtle4Goddert von Oheimb5German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103 Leipzig, GermanyInstitute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technische Universität Dresden, 01737 Tharandt, GermanyInstitute of Ecology, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, 21335 Lüneburg, GermanyInstitute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technische Universität Dresden, 01737 Tharandt, GermanyInstitute of Ecology, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, 21335 Lüneburg, GermanyInstitute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technische Universität Dresden, 01737 Tharandt, GermanyReforestation in sloping terrain is an important measure for soil erosion control and sustainable watershed management. The mechanical stability of such reforested stands, however, can be low due to a strong asymmetric shape of tree crowns. We investigated how neighbourhood tree species richness, neighbourhood pressure, tree height, and slope inclination affect crown asymmetry in a large-scale plantation biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment in subtropical China (BEF-China) over eight years. We took the advantage of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) measurements, which provide non-destructive, high-resolution data of tree structure without altering tree interactions. Neighbourhood species richness significantly reduced crown asymmetry, and this effect became stronger at steeper slopes. Our results suggest that tree diversity promotes the mechanical stability of forest stands in sloping terrain and highlight the importance of TLS-data for a comprehensive understanding of the role of tree diversity in modulating crown interactions in mixed-species forest plantations.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/6/1441BEF-Chinabiodiversity-ecosystem functioningcrown asymmetrycrown complementarityforestryLiDAR |
| spellingShingle | Maria D. Perles-Garcia Matthias Kunz Andreas Fichtner Nora Meyer Werner Härdtle Goddert von Oheimb Neighbourhood Species Richness Reduces Crown Asymmetry of Subtropical Trees in Sloping Terrain Remote Sensing BEF-China biodiversity-ecosystem functioning crown asymmetry crown complementarity forestry LiDAR |
| title | Neighbourhood Species Richness Reduces Crown Asymmetry of Subtropical Trees in Sloping Terrain |
| title_full | Neighbourhood Species Richness Reduces Crown Asymmetry of Subtropical Trees in Sloping Terrain |
| title_fullStr | Neighbourhood Species Richness Reduces Crown Asymmetry of Subtropical Trees in Sloping Terrain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neighbourhood Species Richness Reduces Crown Asymmetry of Subtropical Trees in Sloping Terrain |
| title_short | Neighbourhood Species Richness Reduces Crown Asymmetry of Subtropical Trees in Sloping Terrain |
| title_sort | neighbourhood species richness reduces crown asymmetry of subtropical trees in sloping terrain |
| topic | BEF-China biodiversity-ecosystem functioning crown asymmetry crown complementarity forestry LiDAR |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/6/1441 |
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