Species composition and community structure of the Donglingshan forest dynamic plot in a warm temperate deciduous broad-leaved secondary forest, China

Abstract

Community structure is one of the key features in the process of vegetation succession. Warm temperate mixed deciduous broad-leaved secondary forest is the main forest vegetation type in China's warm temperate zone. In order to better study the mechanisms of succession and species coexistence in this forest type, we established the Donglingshan 20-ha forest plot (DLS plot) in 2009 and 2010 using the same protocol as the well-established plot on Barro Colorado Island in Panama. In the plot, all free-standing woody plants with DBH (diameter at breast height) ≥1 cm were mapped, tagged, and identified to species. Here, we ad- dress preliminary results on floristic characteristics, community composition, and size-class, vertical, and spatial structure of the DLS plot. These datasets will serve as baseline information accessible to a wide range of future studies. We tagged a total of 52,136 genotype individuals (103,284 individuals including branches of genotype individuals), belonging to 58 species, 33 genera and 18 families. All of these tree species were deciduous. Floristic characteristics of the community suggested a temperate flora, including some subtropical and tropical elements. There were very obvious dominant species in the plot. Five species comprised 61% of