Woody Plant Diversity Research Articles

Geographical patterns in phylogenetic diversity of Chinese woody plants and its application for conservation planning

AbstractAimBiodiversity hotspots are widely used as conservation priorities to preserve the tree of life. However, many conservation practices identify biodiversity hotspots without considering phylogenetic diversity (PD), which reflects total evolutionary history and feature diversity of a region. Moreover, conservation planning rarely distinguishes between neo‐ and palaeo‐biodiversity hotspots despite their differences. Here, we (a) estimated large‐scale patterns in PD of woody plants, (b) identified neo‐ and palaeo‐biodiversity hotspots and (c) demonstrated their implication in conservation planning, with special focus on Hengduan Mountains and southern China.LocationChina.MethodsDistributions of 11,405 woody species from the Atlas of Woody Plants in China were updated and were transformed into a grid of 50 × 50 km2. By integrating distribution maps with a genus‐level phylogeny of angiosperms, we estimated Faith's PD of each grid cell and evaluated the contribution of species relatedness to PD at given levels of species diversity (i.e. standardized PD, sPD) using regressions and three null models. Then, we identified areas with significantly lower or higher sPD than expected as neo‐ and palaeo‐hotspots and estimated the coverage of protected areas in these regions.ResultsSpecies diversity and PD decreased towards the north. Southern China had high species diversity, PD and sPD, while Hengduan Mountains had high species diversity and PD but low sPD. The coverage of protected areas in southern China was less than half of that in Hengduan Mountains and entire China.Main conclusionsOur results identified Hengduan Mountains as a neo‐hotspot and southern China as a palaeo‐hotspot, highlighting their importance for biodiversity conservation. Compared to Hengduan Mountains, southern China has low coverage of protected areas, which calls for more conservation attention. Our study demonstrates a way of incorporating the phylogenetic component in the identification of neo‐ and palaeo‐hotspots, and hence of achieving a more complete perception of biodiversity patterns for conserving the tree of life.

The effects of human disturbance on the species composition, species diversity and functional diversity of a Miombo woodland in northern Malawi

AbstractAnthropogenic disturbances have serious impacts on ecosystems across the world. Understanding the effects of disturbance on woodlands, especially in regions where local people depend on these natural resources, is essential for sustainable natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. In this study, we evaluated the effects of anthropogenic disturbance, specifically selective logging of Brachystegia floribunda, on woodlands by comparing species composition, species diversity and functional diversity of woody plants between disturbed and undisturbed woodlands. We combined species data and functional trait data for leaves, fruits and other traits related to resource and disturbance responses to calculate functional indices (functional richness, evenness and divergence) and community‐weighted means of each trait. Shifts in taxonomic species composition were analysed using nonmetric multi‐dimensional scaling. Species composition differed significantly between disturbed and undisturbed woodlands. Tree density was greater in disturbed woodlands, whereas evenness, functional evenness and functional divergence were greater in undisturbed woodlands. In terms of forest cover, selective logging of B. floribunda appeared to have little impact on Miombo woodlands, but some shifts in functional traits, such as the shift from a deciduous to evergreen phenology, may increase the vulnerability of these ecosystems to environmental change, especially drought.

Woody plant diversity spatial patterns and the effects of urbanization in Beijing, China

Understanding the spatial patterns of plant diversity in urban areas is essential for urban planners and managers to effectively manage urban forests. However, thus far, in many cities, plant diversity spatial patterns have been limited at an urban scale by sparse and scattered survey data. This study uses these scattered data in the built–up area of Beijing as a case study to provide a new perspective for exploring the distribution patterns of urban plant diversity. The urban diversity pattern of forest woody plants in this area is mapped via Kriging interpolation in ArcGIS, which allows the estimation of woody plant diversity in areas that have not previously been investigated based on a large amount of field survey data. The results clearly indicate the high– and low–value areas of species diversity within the city, This help in deciding priorities for future protection and management at an urban scale. The geographical detector model is then applied to provide a better understanding of the correlation between urbanization characteristics and woody plant diversity spatial patterns. The results will aid in the development and implementation of suitable policies to change uneven distribution patterns in urban areas. Our applied methodology and results can also be employed to improve basic information on urban woody plant diversity and to offer insights on urban green space planning and management.

Species diversity of woody vegetation along altitudinal gradient of the Western Himalayas

The phytosociological attributes of woody species were investigated along an altitudinal gradient in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. Detailed sampling was carried out in five altitudinal zones (from 1550 to 3550 m asl). A total of 81 woody species, including 33 trees (28 genera and 22 families) and 48 shrub species (39 genera and 24 families) were reported. Density ranged from 150 ± 19 trees/ha (Zone V, 3350–3550 m asl) to 530 ± 36 trees ha−1 (Zone I, 1550–1750 m asl) and 3.83 ± 0.31 shrubs 25 m-2 (Zone-I 1550–1750 m) to 12.3 ± 0.45 shrubs 25 m-2 (Zone-III 2900–3100 m). Total Basal Cover (TBC) fluctuated between 2.91 ± 0.74 m2 ha−1 (Zone-V) to 37.96 ± 2.95 m2 ha−1 (Zone-I). The diversity index (H̅) of trees varied from 2.097 (Zone-V) to 3.373 (Zone-I) and of shrubs ranged from 2.624 (Zone-V) to 4.209 (Zone-I). The correlation (Carl Pearson) test indicated that species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, β-diversity, and TBC declined sharply with increase in altitude. The average maturity index for trees varied from 16.36 to 33.57 and 11.59 to 32.67 for shrubs. The diversity of woody plants declined as altitude increased, indicating that environmental filtering acts as a key factor in shaping the woody vegetation at high altitudes. In lower altitudinal zones, most of the species exhibited a lognormal curve while species of higher altitudes followed geometric curves. The present study could prove beneficial for the foresters, policy-makers to understand the altitudinal behavior of species diversity and its degeneration patterns so that strategic conservation plan could be implemented in the coming future. Thus, the study is expected to provide information to understand the current status, ecology as well as conservational efforts required for this protected area.

Impacts of Climatic Factors on Vegetation Species Diversity, Herbaceous Biomass in Borana, Southern Ethiopia

The study was conducted in three districts of Borana Zone, with the objective to determining the impacts of climatic factors on vegetation species diversity, herbaceous biomass yield of Borana rangelands under commonial grazing rangeland types during end of growing season. The most types rangeland of communial properties are traditional enclosure and continuous grazing rangeland from in where our different data were collected. Within both rangeland types of each districts 20 m × 20 m plots that placed at 200 m distances intervals with three replication was used to collect woody vegetation. The data of herbaceous plant community was collected from seventeen quadrants (1 m ×1 m) that layout in the main plot. The collected data was analyzed by linear regression to determine the impact of climate factors. The herbaceous species richness, diversity and biomass study sites had highly significantly difference (P < 0.001) and positive linear with mean annual precipitation. There is significantly difference (P < 0.05) and negative linear in woody species richness and diversity. Both herbaceous and woody plant species richness and diversity of study areas had a negative linear with mean annual temperature. Climate factors specieally rianfall have a great impact on semi-arid rangeland ecosystems of study areas. Therefore, semi-arid rangeland user should be considering climatic factors to improve productivity of rangeland at semi-arid enviroments.

Current vegetation structure and composition of woody species in community‐derived categories of land degradation in a semiarid rangeland in Kunene region, Namibia

AbstractLand degradation has put the world's rangelands under intense pressure and reduced their capacity to provide vital services to those who solely depend on them for survival. With the current pressures on rangelands, worldwide, there is an urgent need to survey the present condition of rangelands. Such detailed surveys can identify where improvement programmes can be emphasised; whether it be reseeding, stock control, sociological restraints or other actions. To combat rangeland degradation, management systems are more effective when they account for community perceptions and practices. This study aims to assess the current status of woody plants in different categories of degradation as perceived by herders in Kunene, Namibia. Furthermore, we wished to compare the perception of degradation by herders with the measured ecological condition. With the help of herders, sites representing different categories of degradation (low, moderate, high and protected) were identified and 10 plots of 400m2 each were established in each category. Species diversity, density, basal area and regeneration of woody plants increased sequentially along the degradation gradient (high to low). Vegetation attributes such as species diversity, seedling density and standing basal area increased with increasing distances from the villages. Although the herders' perception of degradation, for high and moderate degradation, matches the ecological results, the low degradation sites show signs of bush encroachment, a type of degradation that the herders did not perceive as degradation. Colophospermum mopane, a known encroacher species across Namibia, was the dominant species in the moderate and low degradation sites. Pechuel‐loeschea leubnitziae, which is also known to be an indicator of degradation, was the dominant species in the high degradation sites. The findings highlight the present and future threats the study area is facing and form the basis for current restoration research.

Impacts of the remnant sizes, forest types, and landscape patterns of surrounding areas on woody plant diversity of urban remnant forest patches

Remnant forests in urban areas are hotspots of urban biodiversity. However, the survival and integrity of many remnant forests are currently at risk. Better knowledge of the interactions between remnant forests and urban environments is urgently needed for guiding the conservation effort. In this study, we intend to answer the question: how do patch attributes and landscape patterns of surrounding environments affect the taxonomic diversity of woody plants in urban forest remnants? We surveyed the woody plant species in 240 sample plots in 54 remnant forest patches in Guiyang City, China. We analyzed the taxonomic diversity of woody plants and the effects of influencing factors using multi-level taxonomic diversity indicators and the generalized dissimilarity modeling. The results showed that shrubs had higher within-patch α-diversity than that of trees. However, adult trees had higher among-group β-diversity than those of shrubs and saplings/seedlings. The vegetation type of the patch had more influence than other factors on the compositional dissimilarity of adult trees and sapling/seedling among patches. The patch size had the highest impact on the compositional dissimilarity of shrubs. Besides, small patches had a higher rate of compositional turnover in all woody plants. The percentage of impervious surfaces in surrounding areas and the spatial distance from each other were the main influencing factors for adult trees and saplings/seedlings, respectively. Based on our results, we recommend that more attention should be paid to preserve the small remnant forest patches and protect sampling/seedlings to maintain the taxonomic diversity of urban remnant forests.

Community Preferences of Woody Plant Species in a Heterogeneous Temperate Forest, China

Diversified community types provide different microhabitats for plant growth. However, whether the distribution of species is random distribution or ecological specialization within different plant community types remains to be elucidated. Here, five 1 ha (100 m × 100 m) plots with different communities were established in a temperate forest. We examined community structure differences by nonmetric multidimensional scaling and betadisper test, analyzed the species–community relationships by correlation network approach, and then the examined distribution preferences of woody plant species by torus-translation test. Results showed that the abundance, richness, and species composition of woody plants exhibited significant differences among the five communities. The specialization index showed that 42.83% of the species had the characteristics of distribution specialization for different communities. The torus-translation test showed that 85 species (86.74%) were positively associated with specific community. Our findings suggested that the distribution of woody plants species among different plant community types is not random but specialization. Different woody plant species have distinct specific preferences among various plant community types in temperate mountain forest. These findings provide new insights into the biodiversity conservation of woody plant species in temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests and indicate the potential importance of community partitioning for the maintenance of woody plant diversity.

Re-greening of agrosystems in the Burkina Faso Sahel: greater drought resilience but falling woody plant diversity

SummaryDroughts and land degradation result in biodiversity and ecosystem service losses with serious implications for human wellbeing. The Sahel region has seen increased plant cover since the end of 1970s–1980s droughts, but understanding the nature and implications of this change remains a priority. This study aimed to assess changes in the woody floristic composition of re-greened agrosystems since the droughts in Burkina Faso. In 148 vegetation survey plots distributed across areas with increasing woody plant cover and those to some extent protected from exploitation, a total of 71 species from 51 genera and 23 families were identified. Compared to pre-drought flora, our measurements show a decline in the diversity and density of woody species. Combretaceae species and thorny species of the genera Acacia and Balanites, which are more tolerant of drought, were the most dominant, indicating a post-drought woody vegetation that is more resistant to water stress. The increased presence of food-producing species in agroforestry parks (cultivated fields with woody plants) seems to reflect the growing needs of the human population.

Shade coffee plantations maintain woody plant diversity and structure in a cloud forest landscape of southern Mexico

Cloud forest ecosystems of the Latin American tropics are highly threatened by changes in land-use such as expanding croplands and livestock pastures that promote shifts in the structure and composition of plant communities in these forests. However, shade coffee plantations represent a forest management alternative that has been shown to maintain biodiversity in these ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated changes in the composition, diversity, and structure of Mexican cloud-forest woody species for three land use categories: cattle pastures, shade coffee plantations and advanced succession forests. For each category, fifteen 0.28-ha plots were established and the composition and diversity of vegetation was noted. Composition of species was analyzed using ordination methods, and alpha diversity was compared using Hill numbers. Seventy-seven woody species belonging to 40 families were recorded. Species richness and diversity was high in both the advanced successional forest and coffee plantations compared to cattle pastures. Vegetation composition and structure was similar between late succession forests and coffee plantations with both land uses also being more structurally complex than cattle pastures. Our results show how shade coffee cultivation is a land-use activity that maintains woody plant communities in a manner that aligns with biodiversity conservation.

The diversity and distribution of lianas under various disturbance regimes in Chilimo dry Afromontane forest, Ethiopia

Lianas contribute substantially to plant diversity and to local people’s livelihood in tropical forests around the world. However, their species composition and the factors that determine their distribution in dry Afromontane forests are less explored. In this study, we quantified the diversity and density of lianas under various anthropogenic disturbance levels in Chilimo dry Afromontane forest of Ethiopia. We also assessed their importance to the local people. All woody species ≥10 cm and lianas having ≥1 cm diameter size at the point of measurement were recorded in 72, 20 m × 20 m plots distributed on seven transect lines with 2 km distance between transects. We found twenty-four woody vines that belong to 19 genera and 15 families, having an overall density of 1358 liana stems per hectare. These lianas contributed about 25% to the woody plant diversity of the study forest. Six liana-climbing modes were recorded. Stem twiners were predominant in terms of species richness while Scrambler armed climbers were the most abundant species. Liana species richness and abundance were significantly different among the low, moderate, and high forest disturbance levels (p < 0.05) and Liana diversity significantly reduced in highly disturbed forest plots (p < 0.01). Human disturbance indirectly hinders liana assemblage, as liana species richness and abundance showed a positive relationship (p < 0.05) with tree species richness and abundance. The five most abundant species were Carissa spinarum, Rubus steudneri, Rosa abyssinica, Jasminum abyssinicum, and Urera hypselodendron. All the enumerated liana species identified had medicinal, veterinary, food, fence, traditional house construction, fuelwood, grazing, artisan work, and honeybee forage importance to the local residents. Carissa spinarum, Clematis simensis, and Rosa abyssinica were found to be the most important species to the local people having 2, 1.54 and 1.53 importance value index, respectively. There is a need of implementing effective forest management through strengthening the ongoing participatory forest management program to reverse the negative impacts of anthropogenic forest disturbances and to sustain dry Afromontane lianas and their roles in biodiversity and socioeconomic aspects.

Floral resources of an invasive shrub alter native bee communities at different vertical strata in forest-edge habitat

Disturbances associated with intensive agriculture facilitate the spread of invasive plants that become dominant along habitat edges in fragmented landscapes. Many invasive woody plants offer large quantities of floral resources to bees, but little is known about how invasive plants affect the use of flowering resources in the forest canopy and understory by native bee communities. We sampled the bee community at vertical strata along forest-agriculture edges that varied in density of a dominant invasive shrub Lonicera maackii before, during, and after the flowering period. We also recorded diameters and species identities of woody stems. Bee and woody plant abundance, diversity, and life-history traits were then spatially and temporally compared in response to L. maackii density. Overall, we found that L. maackii structured bee communities through its floral resources by altering bee species composition and supporting greater abundances and species richness of bees during and after its flowering period. We also demonstrated a diverse and abundant bee community up to 16 m high in the forest canopy that is supported by floral resources of native shrubs and trees but sensitive to woody shrub invasion. These findings collectively suggest that this invasive shrub structures the bee community in favor of species that use its own flowers and competes with co-flowering woody species at different vertical strata. Our study emphasizes the importance of forest trees and shrubs for bees in agricultural landscapes and demonstrates potential risks for early-season bees as well as those that cannot use floral resources of this invasive shrub.

Woody Plants Species Composition and Diversity in West Bank Forest of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Woody plants species composition, richness, dominance and diversity in west bank forest of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) was undertaken to understand the status of the forest. The analysis of tree species composition, richness and diversity in the forest was carried out with the aim of developing efficient management plan that will ensure biodiversity conservation. Vegetation survey using transects and plot sampling techniques were used to collect data for the study. Three transects of 500 m long each {A (270°W), B (90°E) and C (180°S)} were constructed with the aid of prismatic compass in the forest. 10 sampling plots of 10 m by 10 m each were demarcated along each transect making a total number of 30 sampling plots. In each plot, all woody plant species (trees and shrubs) with girth at breast height (gbh) greater than or equal to 10 cm (gbh ≥ 10 cm) were identified, enumerated and measured. The results showed that 581 woody plants belonging to 65 species and 28 families were encountered in the forest. The most abundant family in the forest was Fabaceae sub families of Caesalpinioidea, Mimosoideae and Palpilinoideae. The forest had Simpson diversity index (D), Shannon-Wiener (H) and Evenness index of 0.012, 0.354 and 0.195 respectively. The total density and basal area of woody plants species in the forest was 1,936.67 individuals’ ha-1 and 98.23 m2 ha−1. Newbouldia laevis had the highest density of 190 ha-1 and relative frequency of 9.811% while Milicia excelsa had the highest basal area of 40.34 m2 ha−1, relative dominance of 41.07% and Importance value index of 14.04%. The study concludes that the forest has a reasonably good tree and shrub species composition and richness, dominated by trees and a repository of many indigenous tropical woody plant species. The study recommends in-depth forest inventory, preparation of management plan and promotion of good governance in management of the forest. Also, further studies on regeneration, structure, soil seed bank, seed physiology and herbaceous plant should be carried out in the forest.

Involucre fossils of Carpinus, a northern temperate element, from the Miocene of China and the evolution of its species diversity in East Asia

East Asia has long been recognized as a major center for temperate woody plants diversity. Although several theories have been proposed to explain how the diversity of these temperate elements accumulated in the region, the specific process remains unclear. Here we describe six species of Carpinus, a typical northern hemisphere temperate woody plant, from the early Miocene of the Maguan Basin, southwestern China, southern East Asia. This constitutes the southernmost, and the earliest occurrence that shows a high species diversity of the genus. Together with other Carpinus fossil records from East Asia, we show that the genus had achieved a high diversity in East Asia at least by the middle Miocene. Of the six species here described, three have become extinct, indicating that the genus has experienced apparent species loss during its evolutionary history in East Asia. In contrast, the remaining three species closely resemble extant species, raising the possibility that these species may have persisted in East Asia at least since the early Miocene. These findings indicate that the accumulation of species diversity of Carpinus in East Asia is a complex process involving extinction, persistence, and possible subsequent speciation.

Woody plant diversity, composition and structure in relation to environmental variables and land‐cover types in Lake Wanchi watershed, central highlands of Ethiopia

AbstractKnowledge of vegetation dynamics associated with human land‐use change and environmental variables is crucial for sustainable watershed management. The objective of this study was to analyse woody plant diversity in response to the effects of anthropogenic disturbances, and topographic variables in different land‐cover types. Woody plants ≥5 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) were recorded from 20‐by‐20 m plots, those &lt;5 cm DBH were recorded from 10‐by‐10 m plots, and tree seedlings were recorded in 3‐by‐3 m plots. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling with Bray–Curtis distance was employed to analyse woody species composition. Woody species richness was analysed using generalised linear modelling. Tree diameter‐class distributions were examined for population structure. The study identified 104 woody plants belonging to 52 families, where 74.5% were indigenous and 16.7% were endemic to Ethiopia. Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Rosaceae were the most species‐rich families. There was evidence for the effect of anthropogenic disturbance and elevation on woody species composition. Wetlands contained the highest woody species richness, while woody species richness declined with increasing elevation and disturbance. Evidence of good regeneration was observed in wetlands. To sustain the ecological functions and services provided by the watershed, rehabilitation of the forest and shrub‐cover should be a high priority for local management authorities.

Woody plant composition and diversity of urban green spaces in Istanbul, Turkey

The high urbanization rate of Istanbul in response to rapid population decreased the size and amount of green spaces. Thereby, every green space types are of vital importance in terms of conservation of urban biodiversity. In this study, it was aimed to compare woody species composition of main green space types consist of artificial and natural sites. Botanical gardens had the highest diversity followed by gardens. Residential areas showed to be important in terms of shrub (52%) and evergreen species (58%), which are mostly exotics (71%). The ratio of the invasive plants in the composition was higher in parks, which contain highway greenings and public gardens. Since the most tree species used in public green areas of Istanbul were mostly same with the species used in European cities, all of the green space categories having varied composition must be considered as interconnected habitat patches in urban planning.

Species richness and phylogenetic diversity of different growth forms of angiosperms across a biodiversity hotspot in the horn of Africa

AbstractWoody and herbaceous plants are differentially influenced by the environment, with non‐random association with the evolutionary history of these taxa and their traits. In general, woody plants may have climate‐dominated niches, whereas herbaceous plants may have edaphic and microhabitat‐dominated niches. Here, we explored and mapped how the patterns of species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and structures of total, woody, and herbaceous plants vary across the geographical regions and with respect to 12 environmental variables across Ethiopia and Eritrea, in the horn of Africa. Our result showed that both richness and phylogenetic diversity had almost the same tendency in total woody and herbaceous plants, in which they showed positive relationships with annual precipitation, precipitation annual range of climate, all the three variables of topography, and total nitrogen and total extractable phosphorus of soil, and negative relations with mean annual temperature. Compared with the total and herbaceous plants, the environmental variables explained greater variance both in the standardized effect size phylogenetic diversity and net relatedness index for woody plants. Our results highlight that, on the large spatial scales, the environmental filtering process has played a greater role in structuring species into local communities for woody plants than for herbaceous plants.

Filling a void: Analysis of early tropical soil and vegetative recovery under leguminous, post‐coal mine reforestation plantations in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

AbstractLand degradation in Borneo, one of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots, is extensive. In East Kalimantan, 5,000,000 ha of land are zoned for surface‐mined coal. Deforestation from this mining threatens biodiversity and results in soil degradation, erosion, and polluted runoff, all directly impacting human populations. Revegetation methods developed for temperate forests are commonly used globally for mine rehabilitation. However, few empirical studies of native forest restoration as part of mine rehabilitation exist from wet tropical regions. Here, a chronosequence was established to observe forest succession under leguminous plantations at the PT Singlurus Pratama coal mine in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Soil and natural regeneration data were recorded from samples of ten 20 × 60‐m plots randomly located in plantings aged 2, 7, and, 9 years postmining. Linear models (LMEMs) did not reveal greater soil pH, woody plant diversity, or soil phosphorus and nitrogen in older plantings. Rather, they showed higher soil carbon in older plantings, whereas nitrogen and pH were positively correlated with woody species diversity and abundance. Graminoids were less abundant, but ferns were more abundant in older sites in an ordination analysis. The implications are exotic tree plantations shade‐out competitive understory herbaceous species (such as graminoids), opening growing space for other vegetation. However, the establishment of woody species is spatially limited possibly by differences in soil degradation among sites. Our results suggest that planting leguminous trees alone may not be sufficient to restore native forests, and future management should conserve and facilitate the establishment of tropical forest topsoil.

Impact of Exclosure on Species Diversity, Population Structure and Regeneration Status of Woody Plants in Lowland Northern Tigray, Ethiopia

Aim: This study was conducted to assessing woody plant composition, population structure and regeneration status in lowland exclosure (EX) of Northern Ethiopia.&#x0D; Study Design: Investigation of parameters was undertaken from 71 plots with size of 20 m x 10 m laid systematically along transect lines for vegetation data. These 200 m2 plots were used for assessment of trees with DBH &gt;5 cm. Small quadrats of 4 m*4 m (16 m2) nested within the bigger plots was laid at the four corners and center of each plots. These were used for measuring seedling and sapling individuals. To analyze species diversity, population structure and regeneration status of woody plants were by computing abundance, density, basal area, Importance value index (IVI) and using Shannon-Weiner diversity and evenness indices.&#x0D; Results: According to vegetation survey result, a total of 23, 17 and 26 woody species were recorded, at Kara, Erba and Shektekli exclosures (EXs), respectively. While 8, 7 and 5 species of woody plant were in open grazing land (OGL). The total mean densities of all woody plants were found to be 1530, 1480 and 2999 individual’s ha-1 at Kara, Erba and Shektekli in EXs.&#x0D; Conclusion: The study suggested that the regional government have to considering EXs as useful for restoration or rehabitation strategy in the region, the vegetation in all the EXs in the study sites have a higher species composition, diversity, density, increment of basal area and regeneration woody plants than OGL, as a result of management differences in EXs. However, there are also variation on species composition, diversity, density increment of basal area and regeneration woody plants among exclosures having similar age and altitude for instance the species recorded in Erba site is lower than with other of EXs, This could be due to among local site characteristic variation and high grazing happen before Ex establishment exists. Therefore, we need to apply soil and water conservation, enrichment planting with indigenous tree species and strengthen local management institution in effectively protect the exclosure.

Species dominance rather than species asynchrony determines the temporal stability of productivity in four subtropical forests along 30 years of restoration

Understanding biodiversity and its relationship with ecosystem functioning along forest succession is extremely important to assessing dynamics of community stability and ecosystem integrity. Previous studies have revealed that increases in species richness, phylogenetic diversity (PD), species asynchrony and dominance can stabilize the temporal stability of community biomass in grasslands. However, how these determinants influence the stabilizing effect of biodiversity on forest productivity remains poorly understood. We analyzed the relationships between woody plant diversity and productivity stability along 30 years of restoration (1985–2015) in four types of subtropical forest: a mixed Eucalyptus plantation (EE), an Acacia mangium monoculture (AM), a mixed native species plantation (NS), and a mixed coniferous plantation (MC). Our results showed that community stability in three mixed species plantations (EE, NS, and MC) rather than the AM monoculture augmented remarkably as restoration proceeded. Both species richness and phylogenetic diversity significantly stabilized community productivity in the mixed species plantations instead of the monoculture during the 30-year restoration period. Species asynchrony was not a significant factor contributing to the forest productivity stability. Instead, community stability was mainly driven by that of the dominant tree species, and to a lesser extent, by the species richness. We demonstrated the more important role of species dominance in maintaining the temporal stability of forest productivity, which differs from that (species asynchrony) for grassland communities.