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Diversity of understory herbaceous plants during succession in rubber plantations in National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2024

Chunyan Du ,
Donghai Li ,
Xiaobo Yang ,
Weifeng Wang ,
Zicheng Zhu ,
Rentong Liu ,
Shaocui He ,
Xin Su ,
Naiyan Shang  and
Chuan Yang
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Chunyan Du
Affiliation:
Rubber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Donghai Li*
Affiliation:
School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Xiaobo Yang*
Affiliation:
School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Weifeng Wang
Affiliation:
Yinggeling Sub-bureau, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Baisha, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Zicheng Zhu
Affiliation:
School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Rentong Liu
Affiliation:
School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Shaocui He
Affiliation:
School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Xin Su
Affiliation:
School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Naiyan Shang
Affiliation:
School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Chuan Yang
Affiliation:
Rubber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Qingmao Fu
Affiliation:
Rubber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
Dongling Qi*
Affiliation:
Rubber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China The Dynamic Observation Base of Succession from Artificial Forest to Nature forest, National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Haikou, China
*
Corresponding authors: Donghai Li; Email: [email protected]; Xiaobo Yang; Email: [email protected]; Dongling Qi; Email: [email protected]
Corresponding authors: Donghai Li; Email: [email protected]; Xiaobo Yang; Email: [email protected]; Dongling Qi; Email: [email protected]
Corresponding authors: Donghai Li; Email: [email protected]; Xiaobo Yang; Email: [email protected]; Dongling Qi; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Revealing the impact of forest succession processes on changes in plant diversity is crucial for understanding the mechanisms that maintain plant diversity across various succession stages. While previous research has predominantly focused on the influence of environmental factors or management strategies on plant diversity within rubber plantation understories, there is a scarcity of studies examining the effects of forest succession processes on plant diversity. This study focuses on the plant diversity of the understory herbaceous layer within the rubber forest of the Yinggeling area, located in National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest. It employs a spatial analysis approach, rather than a temporal one, to examine the characteristics of the understory herbaceous community. The findings revealed that (1) The understory of Yinggeling rubber plantations harbors 175 plant species from 149 genera and 75 families, with Gramineae and Rubiaceae representing 46.45% of total species. And the dominant families are Rubiaceae, Gramineae, and Moraceae, with Ficus and Pteris being the dominant genera. (2) The dominant species vary with succession duration, with Tetrastigma pachyphyllum dominating in 0-year succession, Paspalum conjugatum in 3-year succession, and Microstegium fasciculatum in 7-year succession. (3) Diversity indices such as the Shannon–Wiener index, Simpson index, and Pielou index peak at 7 years of natural succession, while the species richness is highest at 3 years. (4) The similarity coefficient between understory herbaceous plant communities in rubber plantations undergoing 0 and 3 years of natural succession is highest 0.56, indicating a significant similarity, while similarity is lowest between 0 and 7 years of succession. This research shows that natural restoration helps increase species diversity in the understory herb layer of rubber forests. Succession leads to changes in the dominant families, genera, and species of the herbaceous layer. This change can be attributed to the intraspecific competition and ecological competition that occur during the succession process, leading to changes in biological and resource allocation.

Keywords

Rubberunderstory plantationNatural successionSpecies diversityCommunity composition
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 40 , 2024 , e23
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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