Community regeneration based on the distribution and population structure of Syringa fauriei H. Lév. (Oleaceae), a rare and endemic plant in Korea

Abstract

To meet the specific targets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation of 2020 (GSPC-2020), data of species traits for each plant species are investigated. This study investigated a Korean endemic plant (Syringa fauriei H. Lev.) in terms of its current distribution across the southern-central regions of the Korean peninsula, vegetative conditions in natural habitats, distributional characteristics, and population structure. Syringa fauriei was located at the river borders, where vegetative conditions were either limestone and non-limestone zones. The upstream limestone zones offered suitable areas for the distribution of S. fauriei and were epicenters of their distribution. The mature individuals produced seeds. The population structure displayed a stable, reverse J-shape, consisting of an abundance of seedlings and young plants with a few fertile plants that supplied the seeds for population growth; this was termed the ‘ecological founder effect’. In the limestone zones, the S. fauriei community formed on the borders of streams with water flow, implying that the cycle of community generation, growth, and extinction was repeated according to the stream disturbance dynamics. For S. fauriei conservation, naturality of stream environments should be maintained.