科研之友
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摘要
This research aimed to quantify the relative importance of the multiple processes that limit the recruitment of three native woody species (Quercus wutaishanica Mayr, Betula platyphylla Suk., and Acer ginnala Maxim.) in the Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carr.) plantations in the Ziwuling Mountain on the Loess Plateau, China. In total, 216 seed traps and 1080 seedling plots with seed rain and seedling establishment monitoring were set up in three Chinese pine plantations and three hardwood forests for a three-year period. In addition, a seed-sowing and an acorn-tracing experiments were performed to evaluate the roles of litter and rodents in seedling recruitment and acorn dispersal. Despite the short distance between the conifer plantation and seed sources, our study revealed low efficiency of seed dispersal from hardwood forests to conifer plantations, whether they were dispersed by wind or by animals. The proportion of rodent-dispersed acorns with respect to acorn secondary dispersal was much lower in conifer plantations than in hardwood forests (i.e. 8% vs. 26%). In the conifer plantation, the thick litter constituted a barrier for seedling emergence, but favored the survival of Q. wutaishanica and A. ginnala seedlings. The indexes of recruitment showed that seed and establishment limitations were powerful restrictive forces in conifer plantations for the recruitment of the three species.
