PJB-2018-966
Species diversity and distribution pattern of old trees in Wuzhong district, Suzhou city
Chunping Xie, Wuchuang Dong and Dawei Liu
Abstract
Old trees are a natural and cultural heritage resource, and they often provide a wide variety of tangible and intangible benefits to people. At the same time, old trees are living fossils that can disclose information on vegetation succession, climate change, origin of species, regional environmental change, social development, and other factors. Therefore, old trees play a significant role in many research fields. Based on a field investigation and the literature, the species diversity, distribution pattern, and growth status of old trees in Wuzhong District were analysed. The results indicated that 339 old trees belonged to 41 species, 34 genera and 26 families. Ginkgo biloba was overwhelmingly dominant, followed by Cinnamomum camphora, Zelkova serrata and Juniperus chinensis. The spatial distribution patterns implied that there were more old trees in rural towns than in urban areas, and temples were the main places that accommodated old trees. In terms of the DBH (diameter at breast height), the old tree structures were similar to the spindle shape; however, the third-grade (100-299 years) old trees were more abundant than the other grades (300-499 years and over 500 years). There were four grades of old tree growth status, including vigorous, normal, weak and dying, which accounted for 41.3%, 49.3%, 7.4% and 2.1% of total tree count, respectively. The height and crown attributes were also discussed in this paper. Based on our investigation and analysis, the conservation issues related to old trees were analysed and corresponding countermeasures and suggestions were proposed.
To Cite this article:
Xie, C., W. Dong and D. Liu. 2020. Species diversity and distribution pattern of old trees in Wuzhong district, Suzhou city. Pak. J. Bot., 52(4): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2020-4(22)
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