Regeneration and Development of Native Plant Species in Restored Mountain Forests, Hainan Island, China

Abstract

Abstract Natural regeneration was studied at 7-year-old native species regeneration sites on abandoned lands in central mountain areas of Hainan Island, off China's southern coast. Using linear sampling, 7 belt transects (each 5 m in width, with a cumulative length of 2000 m) were established and then subdivided into 400 plots (5 m × 5 m). Plant regeneration was surveyed on each plot. For each woody species, the life stage, mature height, dispersal mode, and successional status were assessed. The regenerating woody community at the sites was found to be species-rich, with 40 species identified. However, the community was dominated by a subset of secondary forest pioneer species, such as Liquidambar formosana, Aporosa chinensis, and Lannea grandis, whereas a number of prominent primary forest species, such as Castanopsis hainanensis and Machilus chinensis, were almost completely absent. Clustering analysis divided the 40 species into different functional groups: those with a primarily economic function, a ...