RETRACTED: Protection mechanism and empirical study on the endangered status of Pinus kwangtungensis

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper, we take Pinus kwangtungensis as an example, setting the sample plots along the altitudinal gradient in the same distribution area, and the indicators such as diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height, and canopy of different trees in the community were recorded. The spatial pattern and the average survival pressure of P. kwangtungensis populations are analyzed and calculated on a gradient of different altitudes. The results are as follows: (a) The altitude and temperature affect the spatial pattern of the community when aggregated at mid‐ and high altitudes; however, the low altitude is aggregated or uniform, and with increasing altitude, the population aggregation intensity increases. While at a certain height, the aggregation intensity decreased, the intra‐ and inter‐species competition decreased, and the survival pressure decreased; (b) The average survival pressure index of P. kwangtungensis showed a decreasing trend along the rising altitudinal gradient (R2 = 0.31, p = .026), and several plants will continue to migrate to high altitudes for better survival; (c) The average survival pressure index of P. kwangtungensis population was different at the same altitude gradient; (d) For the artificial forest of P. kwangtungensis, the average survival pressure index was 50. It is threatened by the competition tree and needs to be strictly protected. It is necessary to prune or selectively cut the competitive tree species in time. In a word, we figure out that “competition driving” is existent in species, and we could try to verify the existence of the hypothesis.