Relationship between topography and the distribution of understory vegetation in a Pinus massoniana forest in Southern China
The poor growth of understory vegetation and the severe losses of soil and water in Pinus massoniana forests have recently become serious concerns in an area in southern China with eroded red soil. The influence of topography on the spatial distribution of vegetation, however, has received little at...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2015-12-01
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| Series: | International Soil and Water Conservation Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095633915301064 |
| _version_ | 1797284116378419200 |
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| author | Bangwen Wang Guanghui Zhang Jian Duan |
| author_facet | Bangwen Wang Guanghui Zhang Jian Duan |
| author_sort | Bangwen Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The poor growth of understory vegetation and the severe losses of soil and water in Pinus massoniana forests have recently become serious concerns in an area in southern China with eroded red soil. The influence of topography on the spatial distribution of vegetation, however, has received little attention. This study combined several multivariate analyses to discern the complicated relationship between understory vegetation and topography. Thirty-six plots (10 m×10 m) were sampled in a field survey of the vegetation and topography in the central red-soil region. The distributions of the understory vegetation differed significantly amongst the topographies. Most plants grew in gullies, and few grew on ridges. The low coverage (25.2%) and number of species (5 per plot) of the vegetation on ridges was due to serious soil erosion. Surface curvature and slope aspect were the first and second most important topographic factors, respectively, affecting the distribution of the vegetation. The relationship between topography and distribution could be described by a linear model. Surface curvature or slope aspect alone, however, could only explain 22.2–59.2% of the variance in distribution. The adaptation of vegetation to specific topographies should be considered for restorations of P. massoniana forests in the study area. The results of this study will be helpful for selecting potential sites for seeding and vegetation restoration to improve the ecology of the study area. Further studies will be needed to identify the mechanism of the distribution of the understory vegetation in these P. massoniana forests. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:44:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e2eeaa645a114791af94411f1259638c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2095-6339 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:44:20Z |
| publishDate | 2015-12-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
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| series | International Soil and Water Conservation Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-e2eeaa645a114791af94411f1259638c2024-03-02T15:34:49ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.International Soil and Water Conservation Research2095-63392015-12-013429130410.1016/j.iswcr.2015.10.002Relationship between topography and the distribution of understory vegetation in a Pinus massoniana forest in Southern ChinaBangwen Wang0Guanghui Zhang1Jian Duan2Anhui and Huaihe River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Water Conservancy and Water Resources, Hefei 230088, ChinaSchool of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, ChinaJiangxi Institute of Soil and Water Conversation, Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Prevention, Nanchang 330029, ChinaThe poor growth of understory vegetation and the severe losses of soil and water in Pinus massoniana forests have recently become serious concerns in an area in southern China with eroded red soil. The influence of topography on the spatial distribution of vegetation, however, has received little attention. This study combined several multivariate analyses to discern the complicated relationship between understory vegetation and topography. Thirty-six plots (10 m×10 m) were sampled in a field survey of the vegetation and topography in the central red-soil region. The distributions of the understory vegetation differed significantly amongst the topographies. Most plants grew in gullies, and few grew on ridges. The low coverage (25.2%) and number of species (5 per plot) of the vegetation on ridges was due to serious soil erosion. Surface curvature and slope aspect were the first and second most important topographic factors, respectively, affecting the distribution of the vegetation. The relationship between topography and distribution could be described by a linear model. Surface curvature or slope aspect alone, however, could only explain 22.2–59.2% of the variance in distribution. The adaptation of vegetation to specific topographies should be considered for restorations of P. massoniana forests in the study area. The results of this study will be helpful for selecting potential sites for seeding and vegetation restoration to improve the ecology of the study area. Further studies will be needed to identify the mechanism of the distribution of the understory vegetation in these P. massoniana forests.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095633915301064Understory vegetationTopography, Soil erosionPinus massoniana forestEroded red-soil area |
| spellingShingle | Bangwen Wang Guanghui Zhang Jian Duan Relationship between topography and the distribution of understory vegetation in a Pinus massoniana forest in Southern China International Soil and Water Conservation Research Understory vegetation Topography, Soil erosion Pinus massoniana forest Eroded red-soil area |
| title | Relationship between topography and the distribution of understory vegetation in a Pinus massoniana forest in Southern China |
| title_full | Relationship between topography and the distribution of understory vegetation in a Pinus massoniana forest in Southern China |
| title_fullStr | Relationship between topography and the distribution of understory vegetation in a Pinus massoniana forest in Southern China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relationship between topography and the distribution of understory vegetation in a Pinus massoniana forest in Southern China |
| title_short | Relationship between topography and the distribution of understory vegetation in a Pinus massoniana forest in Southern China |
| title_sort | relationship between topography and the distribution of understory vegetation in a pinus massoniana forest in southern china |
| topic | Understory vegetation Topography, Soil erosion Pinus massoniana forest Eroded red-soil area |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095633915301064 |
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