Abstract
It is important to understand the effects of environmental factors on secondary forest assembly for effective afforestation and vegetation restoration. We studied 24 20 m × 20 m quadrats of natural secondary forest in the southern Taihang Mountains. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and two-way indicator hydrocarbon analysis were used to analyse the relationship between community vegetation and environmental factors. The CCA showed that 13 terrain and soil variables shared 68.17% of the total variance. The principal environmental variables, based on the most parsimonious CCA model, were (in order) elevation, soil total N, soil gravel content, slope, soil electrical conductivity, and pH. Samples were clustered into four forest types, with forest diversity affected by elevation, nutrients, and water gradients. Topographical variables affected forest assembly more than soil variables. Species diversity was evaluated using the Shannon–Wiener, Simpson’s diversity, and Pielou’s evenness indexes. The environmental factors that affected species distribution had different effects on species diversity. The vegetation-environment relationship in the southern region was different than the central region of the Taihang Mountains, and vegetation restoration was at an early stage. The terrain of the southern region, especially elevation and slope, should be considered for vegetation restoration and conservation.
Highlights
CV organic matter content, microbial activity, nutrient levels, and physical properties, rather promoting nutrient cycling and plant growth[10]
We assumed that restoration in this area was still in the early stages, and the community composition and vegetation-environment relationship were different from that in the central and northern regions; the vegetation reconstruction and restoration processes used in the central and northern regions cannot be directly applied to this area
There was no significant correlation between soil variables and slope or aspect
Summary
CV organic matter content, microbial activity, nutrient levels, and physical properties (e.g. bulk density, porosity, and water content), rather promoting nutrient cycling and plant growth[10]. Zhang et al.[16,17] evaluated the gradient of plant communities and Liu et al.[18] analysed secondary forest-environment relationships over long-term natural restoration processes in the central Taihang Mountains. The Taihang Mountains have a long north–south range of over 400 km and a 290 km east-west range, with high elevation in the north and low elevation in the south They represent the convergence zone of the southern and northern floras of the East Asian continent, and species composition is very transitional. This study had three aims: first, to comprehend the typical community composition following long-term natural recovery; second, to analyse the spatial heterogeneity of water, light, temperature, and nutrients and identify the key environmental variables; and third, to reveal the environmental gradients that affect community composition and species distribution, and comprehensively understand the mechanisms that create the spatial heterogeneity of natural secondary forest assemblies in this region
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
