PJB-2015-115
DYNAMICS OF THE POPULATION QUANTITY OF JUGLANS MANDSHURICA MAXIM. IN DIFFERENT HABITATS IN XINJIANG, CHINA
WEI ZHANG1,2, YUNFEI YANG1* AND JIANDONG LI1
Abstract
Transects were arranged on the shady and sunny slopes, as well as at different elevations of the main, eastern, central, and western gullies in the Wild Walnut Nature Reserve in Xinjiang, China to survey a large sample of Juglans mandshurica. The structures of height class and diameter at breast height (DBH) class were used to represent age structure to compare and analyze the dynamics of the population quantity of J. mandshurica in different habitats. Results showed that J. mandshurica population comprises numerous young seedlings, which develop into young plants with a high death rate. The number of adult plants is stable. J. mandshurica population is r-strategists in the young stage, and k-strategists supplemented by r-strategists in the juvenile and subsequent stages. The structures of height class and DBH class fluctuate at different slope aspects and elevations. The growth of young seedlings into adult plants is discontinuous. Tree height and DBH are relatively uniform in the same age class, and the coefficient of variation is independent of slope aspect and elevation. The maximum numbers of age classes in J. mandshurica population with different height and DBH classes differ at three elevations. Low- and medium-age classes are dominant in all situations. That is, population is mainly composed of juvenile and adult trees, and age structure is classified as a growth type. Without strong external interference, J. mandshurica population will maintain its superior position in the community.
To Cite this article:
Download
