Species Diversity Has a Positive Interrelationship with Aboveground Biomass and a Mismatch with Productivity in a Subtropical Broadleaf Forest on the Wuyi Mountains, China
Shuifei Chen,
Lei Xie,
Weilun Zhou,
Hao Chen,
Xianjun Xu,
Sian Jiang,
Mingyue Zang,
Ye Peng,
Xin Chen,
Yifan Duan,
Lin Chen,
Xuexia Li,
Hui Ding,
Yanming Fang
Affiliations
Shuifei Chen
Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, State Environmental Protection Scientific Observation and Research Station for Ecological Environment of Wuyi Mountains, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory on Biosafety, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing 210042, China
Lei Xie
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Weilun Zhou
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Hao Chen
Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, State Environmental Protection Scientific Observation and Research Station for Ecological Environment of Wuyi Mountains, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory on Biosafety, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing 210042, China
Xianjun Xu
Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province Institute for Biological Studies, Nanping 354399, China
Sian Jiang
Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province Institute for Biological Studies, Nanping 354399, China
Mingyue Zang
Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, State Environmental Protection Scientific Observation and Research Station for Ecological Environment of Wuyi Mountains, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory on Biosafety, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing 210042, China
Ye Peng
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Xin Chen
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yifan Duan
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Lin Chen
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Xuexia Li
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Hui Ding
Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, State Environmental Protection Scientific Observation and Research Station for Ecological Environment of Wuyi Mountains, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory on Biosafety, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing 210042, China
Yanming Fang
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
The Wuyi Mountains in China are one of the largest and most complete subtropical forest ecosystems at the same latitude in the world. However, our limited understanding of the function of this distinctive ecosystem means that the interrelationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning needs to be investigated if evergreen broadleaf forests (EBLFs) are to be protected. Here, we calculated species richness, the Shannon–Wiener index, and the Pielou index in large-, medium-, and small-scale (20 m × 20 m, 10 m × 10 m, and 5 m × 5 m) forest dynamics plots (FDPs). We also investigated the interrelationships between species diversity and aboveground biomass (AGB)/productivity in FDPs at the different scales using the generalized linear regression model. The results showed that species diversity and AGB positively interrelated with each other, whereas there was no species diversity-productivity interrelationship in the subtropical BLF on the Wuyi Mountains. The structural equation model (SEM) showed that elevation was a key factor directly affecting AGB. These findings lead to the conclusion that productivity is not solely correlated with species diversity and that abiotic factors probably mediate the positive interrelationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning. This study provides theoretical basis that can be used to protect EBLFs in subtropical areas and the results can be used to improve the construction of artificial forest communities and vegetation restoration at the same latitude.
