Systematic effects of environmental factors and phenology on forest structure: Tracking the ecological processes

IF 3.1 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY
Manas R. Mohanta , H.S. Suresh , Sudam C. Sahu
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Numerous studies have demonstrated the significance of climatic and edaphic conditions in regulating the species composition and forest structure. However, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding the ecological processes that are brought about by phenological expression and regeneration. This study postulates that phenology, regeneration, and species dominance are a sequence of intermediary processes through which environmental conditions affect forest structure. In a dry deciduous forest of Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR), India, we analysed the relationships between various environmental characteristics, phenological parameters, seedling density, sapling density, and tree density using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The study revealed an immediate association between climate and leafing (Path Coefficient: -0.67; T: 9.374; p < 0.01), flowering (Path Coefficient: -0.61; T: 2.981; p < 0.01), and fruiting (Path Coefficient: -0.67; T: 3.51; p < 0.01). The sequential association between seedling and sapling density and forest structure was also significant (p < 0.5). However, these were found to have no direct link with phenology (T < 1; p > 0.05) which has been assumed to be the outcome of anthropogenic activities in the forest having an impact on the system. Comparatively, synchrony of fruit senescence and synchrony of flowering were the principal events that supported regeneration more than others, each accounting for 79 % and 74 % of their data, respectively. On the other hand, the monthly minimum temperature (contributing 97 % of data) was a key contribution to the principal component (PC1) and was primarily responsible for triggering the phenological cycle. Most of the important phenophases were seasonal (Rayleigh's Z varied from 10.93 to 50.01; p < 0.01) except the fruit initiation (Rayleigh's Z = 0.48; p = 0.2). Most of the species (72 % of all species) had regeneration densities that were corresponding to their competitive scores. Similarly, density of adult tree species proportionated with their density in regeneration stage (sapling and seedling), supporting the research hypothesis. However, several deviant species suggested that the system was affected by a wide range of other factors. This is the first study of its kind to evaluate the critical ecological processes together, and recommends further investigation across different woodland ecosystems to deepen understanding of forest functioning.

环境因素和物候对森林结构的系统影响:追踪生态过程
大量研究表明,气候和土壤条件在调节物种组成和森林结构方面具有重要意义。然而,人们对物候表现和再生所带来的生态过程仍然缺乏了解。本研究假设物候、再生和物种优势是环境条件影响森林结构的一系列中间过程。在印度西比利帕尔生物圈保护区(SBR)的一片干燥落叶林中,我们利用结构方程模型(SEM)分析了各种环境特征、物候参数、幼苗密度、树苗密度和树木密度之间的关系。研究表明,气候与落叶(路径系数:-0.67;T:9.374;< 0.01)、开花(路径系数:-0.61;T:2.981;< 0.01)和结果(路径系数:-0.67;T:3.51;< 0.01)之间存在直接联系。幼苗和树苗密度与森林结构之间的序列关联也很显著(< 0.5)。然而,这些因素与物候没有直接联系(< 1; > 0.05),这被认为是森林中的人为活动对系统产生影响的结果。相比之下,果实衰老的同步性和开花的同步性是支持再生的主要事件,分别占其数据的 79% 和 74%。另一方面,月最低气温(占数据的 97%)是主成分(PC1)的主要成分,也是引发物候周期的主要原因。大多数重要物候期都是季节性的(雷利氏 Z 从 10.93 到 50.01 不等;< 0.01),但果实开始期除外(雷利氏 = 0.48;= 0.2)。大多数树种(占所有树种的 72%)的再生密度与其竞争性得分相对应。同样,成年树种的密度与其再生阶段(树苗和幼苗)的密度成正比,支持了研究假设。然而,一些偏离的树种表明,该系统受到其他多种因素的影响。这是首次对关键生态过程进行综合评估的同类研究,建议在不同林地生态系统中开展进一步调查,以加深对森林功能的理解。
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来源期刊
Ecological Complexity
Ecological Complexity 环境科学-生态学
CiteScore
7.10
自引率
0.00%
发文量
24
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: Ecological Complexity is an international journal devoted to the publication of high quality, peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of biocomplexity in the environment, theoretical ecology, and special issues on topics of current interest. The scope of the journal is wide and interdisciplinary with an integrated and quantitative approach. The journal particularly encourages submission of papers that integrate natural and social processes at appropriately broad spatio-temporal scales. Ecological Complexity will publish research into the following areas: • All aspects of biocomplexity in the environment and theoretical ecology • Ecosystems and biospheres as complex adaptive systems • Self-organization of spatially extended ecosystems • Emergent properties and structures of complex ecosystems • Ecological pattern formation in space and time • The role of biophysical constraints and evolutionary attractors on species assemblages • Ecological scaling (scale invariance, scale covariance and across scale dynamics), allometry, and hierarchy theory • Ecological topology and networks • Studies towards an ecology of complex systems • Complex systems approaches for the study of dynamic human-environment interactions • Using knowledge of nonlinear phenomena to better guide policy development for adaptation strategies and mitigation to environmental change • New tools and methods for studying ecological complexity
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