Abstract
Monitoring long-term forest dynamics can improve our understanding of how tree species change under varying environmental conditions over time. The Nanjenshan Nature Reserve, located in the southernmost part of Taiwan, is covered by natural tropical forest and affected by the northeast monsoon wind in the winter. To explore how monsoon wind shapes the structure of vegetation, we used the long-term data of the Lanjenchi plot (high wind exposure forest) and Nanjenshan plot I (low wind exposure forest) located in the Nanjenshan Nature Reserve. In these two plots, all free-standing trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 1 cm were identified, measured, and mapped five times in thirty years (1989–2019). Temporal changes of tree abundance, dominance, recruitment, and mortality were calculated for all species. We recorded 9694 ± 3924 individual ha−1 belonging to 126 species in the high wind exposure forest and 4019 ± 1791 individual ha−1 belonging to 105 species in the low wind exposure forest in the latest census (census 5). From 1989 to 2019, stem density in the high wind exposure forests decreased (from 12,179 ± 6689 to 9694 ± 3924 individual ha−1), while stem density in the low wind exposure forests increased (from 3253 ± 1208 to 4019 ± 1791 individual ha−1). The stem density of the rare species, which survived only in the high wind exposure forest, decreased over time. However, the basal areas of these two forests barely changed during the study periods. Due to environmental conditions, the two forests have developed different forest structures in spaces and time. Species stem density in the high wind exposure forest and diversity could continually decrease and affect the maintenance of species diversity in the monsoon wind-shaped forest.
Highlights
This study aims to understand how the woody vegetation composition differs in the plots having high wind exposure (Lanjenchi plot) versus low wind exposure (Nanjenshan plot I)
We selected the two largest plots with the same number of survey intervals to represent plots affected by monsoon wind in a high wind exposure forest (Lanjenchi plot) and low wind exposure forest (Nanjenshan plot I) [9] (Figure 1)
This study describes species changes in two forests having different levels of wind exposure at the Nanjenshan Nature Reserve, Taiwan
Summary
Introduction published maps and institutional affilSpecies are the basic units of a community that occurs together in space and time [1].A species may change its relative abundance, immigrate, or go extinct locally [2–5]. Species are the basic units of a community that occurs together in space and time [1]. Species community dynamics may be influenced by both exogenous forces such as climate and endogenous ecological forces [2,5]. How multiple species have survived under different environments through time can provide information about their potential for facing various environmental conditions in the future [5,6]. Long-term inventory data help to better understand forest structure dynamics and ecological processes [3]. Condit et al [7] analyzed the long-term dynamic data from Pasoh and Barro Colorado Island (BCI) forest dynamic plots and found that the different environmental conditions and climate events cause BCI to have a higher mortality and recruitment rate than the Pasoh plot. Shen et al [8] found that intraspecific competitive exclusion and density dependence caused the high mortality of species in the Dinghushan forest dynamic iations
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