Abstract
Forests in Northeast China in the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains (GKM and LKM) account for nearly 1/3 of the total state-owned forests in the country. Regional and historical comparisons of forest plants and macrofungi will favor biological conservation, forest management and economic development. A total of 1067 sampling plots were surveyed on forest composition and structure, with a macrofungi survey at Liangshui and Huzhong Nature Reserves in the center of two regions. Regional and historical differences of these parameters were analyzed with a redundancy ordination of their complex associations. There were 61–76 families, 189–196 genera, and 369–384 species, which was only 1/3 of the historical records. The same dominant species were larch and birch with Korean pine (a climax species) less as expected from past surveys in the LKM. Shrub and herb species were different in the two regions, as expected from historical records. There was 10–50% lower species diversity (except for herb evenness), but 1.8- to 4-time higher macrofungi diversity in the GKM. Compared with the LKM, both tree heights and macrofungi density were higher. Nevertheless, current heights averaging 10 m are half of historical records (> 20 m in the 1960s). Edible macrofungi were the highest proportion in both regions, about twice that of other fungal groups, having important roles in the local economy. A major factor explaining plant diversity variations in both regions was herb cover, followed by shrubs in the GKM and herb-dominant species in the LKM. Factors responsible for macrofungi variations were tree density and shrub height. Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Larix gmelinii in the GKM but tree size and diversity were important factors in the LKM. Our findings highlighted large spatial and historical differences between the GKM and LKM in plant-macrofungal composition, forest structure, and their complex associations, which will favor precise conservation and management of forest resources in two region in the future.
Highlights
Biodiversity is one of the most critical factors determining ecosystem functions and services in maintaining energy flow, purifying the environment, and regulating microclimate (Wang 2019; Yang et al 2019)
Detailed records of species composition of trees, shrubs and herbs in sampling plots is fundamental for the study of diversity, evenness and richness, and the survey of community characteristics related to individual size and density is the basis for understanding the relationship between forest structure and ecosystem function (Wang et al 2020a, b)
Complex decoupling among species diversity, species dominance, forest structure and geo-climatic conditions is crucial for conservation and management practices, and inclusion of forest characteristics at different vertical layers, including taxonomic groups, plant size and density, will help the evaluation of forest resources
Summary
Biodiversity is one of the most critical factors determining ecosystem functions and services in maintaining energy flow, purifying the environment, and regulating microclimate (Wang 2019; Yang et al 2019). Detailed records of species composition of trees, shrubs and herbs in sampling plots is fundamental for the study of diversity, evenness and richness, and the survey of community characteristics related to individual size and density is the basis for understanding the relationship between forest structure and ecosystem function (Wang et al 2020a, b). Complex decoupling among species diversity, species dominance, forest structure and geo-climatic conditions is crucial for conservation and management practices, and inclusion of forest characteristics at different vertical layers, including taxonomic groups, plant size and density, will help the evaluation of forest resources. A statistical method such as redundancy analysis (RDA) is beneficial to find statistically significant factors responsible for biodiversity variations (Gu et al 2020; Wang et al 2020a, b)
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