Abstract
Long-term ecological data play a vital role in ecological conservation and restoration, however, using information from local forest soil pollen data to assist restoration remains a challenge. This study analyzed two data sets, including 1) surface soil pollen (0–5 cm) and current vegetation data from four near-natural communities and four plantations, and 2) fossil pollen from soil profiles (0–80 cm) from a regional climax community and a degraded land. The pollen representativeness and similarity indexes were calculated. The results showed a low similarity between soil pollen and current vegetation (about 20%) thus forest soil pollen data should be used with caution when defining reference ecosystems. Pollen from Gironniera and Rutaceae which were abundant in broadleaved forest, were also detected in the 40–80 cm layer of a soil profile from the degraded land, which indicates its restoration possibility. Our study considered that the early restoration stage of the study area may benefit from using plant taxa of Pinus, Poaceae, Lonicera, Casuarina, Trema and Quercus. As Pinus, Castanopsis, Gironniera, Rutaceae, Helicia, Randia, Poaceae, Dicranopteris and Pteris always existed during succession, for regional forest restoration under global climate change, the roles of such “stable species” should be considered.
Highlights
Latosols are widely distributed in South China, where the soil pH is low and eluviation is common
In coniferous forest, the dominant surface soil pollen types were from Pinus, Poaceae, and Dicranopteris (Table 1 and Fig. 1)
The dominant pollen in the surface soil at coniferous plantation and broadleaved plantation was from Pinus, Poaceae, and Dicranopteris (Table 1 and Fig. 2)
Summary
Latosols are widely distributed in South China, where the soil pH is low and eluviation is common. A climax community, monsoon evergreen broadleaved forest, was previously used as the reference ecosystem for local restoration in subtropical China[18]. The reference ecosystem neglects the possible effects of local microenvironment and history[19] This leads to a serious question, that is, whether the pollen stored in the soil under communities can provide complementary assistance for local restoration. We evaluate the applicability of local forest soil pollen data for selecting reference ecosystems in South China. We examined the relationships between the surface soil pollen and current vegetation in four near-natural forest communities and in four plantations in subtropical China. We select one 400 years old near-natural growing community and a degraded bare land to examine how pollen in the soil profile can help researchers identify the reference ecosystem for restoration.
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.
