Environmental correlates of distribution of the 25 broad-leaved tree species indigenous to Guangdong Province, China

Abstract

Twenty-five tree species indigenous to Guangdong Province were chosen in this study to portray their distribution patterns in relation to environmental factors. Both data of species distribution and environmental factors were tabulated based on a digitized map of Guangdong Province gridded at 0.5° latitude ×0.5° longitude. Grid-based diversity was mapped using DMAP, a distribution mapping program, and horizontal patterns were assessed using Kruskal-Wallis tests. The diversity center of the indigenous tree species under study is located north of 23° N. These tree species exhibit significant latitudinal variation (P=0.007 4), but no significant longitudinal difference (P=0.052 2). Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) identified five different ecological species groups, while Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed the distribution of tree species along each of the five environmental gradients. An understanding of the environmental correlates of distribution patterns has great implication for the introduction of the indigenous tree species for afforestation.