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Monodominance of Parashorea chinensis on fertile soils in a Chinese tropical rain forest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2014

Nic van der Velden ,
J. W. Ferry Slik ,
Yue-Hua Hu ,
Guoyu Lan ,
Luxian Lin ,
XiaoBao Deng  and
Lourens Poorter
Nic van der Velden
Affiliation:
Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
J. W. Ferry Slik
Affiliation:
Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jln Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
Yue-Hua Hu
Affiliation:
Keylab of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
Guoyu Lan
Affiliation:
Keylab of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
Luxian Lin
Affiliation:
Keylab of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
XiaoBao Deng
Affiliation:
Keylab of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
Lourens Poorter*
Affiliation:
Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
*
1Corresponding author. Email: lourens.poorter@wur.nl
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Abstract:

Monodominance in the tropics is often seen as an unusual phenomenon due to the normally high diversity in tropical rain forests. Here we studied Parashorea chinensis H. Wang (Dipterocarpaceae) in a seasonal tropical forest in south-west China, to elucidate the mechanisms behind its monodominance. Twenty-eight 20 × 20-m plots were established in monodominant and mixed forest in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province. All individuals ≥1 cm stem diameter and 16 soil variables were measured. Parashorea chinensis forest had a significantly higher mean tree dbh compared with mixed forest. Diversity did not differ significantly between the two forest types. However, within monodominant patches, all diversity indices decreased with an increase in P. chinensis dominance. Floristic composition of P. chinensis forest did differ significantly from the mixed forest. These differences were associated with more fertile soils (significantly higher pH, Mn, K and lower carbon pools and C:N ratio) in the P. chinensis forest than the mixed forest. In contrast to current paradigms, this monodominant species is not associated with infertile, but with fertile soils. Parashorea chinensis seems to be especially associated with high manganese concentrations which it can tolerate, and with edaphic conditions (water, K) that allow this tall and exposed emergent species to maintain its water balance. This is in contrast with most previous studies on monodominance in the tropics that found either no effect of soil properties, or predict associations with nutrient-poor soils.

Keywords

diversitymanganesemonodominanceParashorea chinensispopulation structuresoil fertilitytropical forest
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 30 , Issue 4 , July 2014 , pp. 311 - 322
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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