Variations and Factors Characterizing Ecological Niches of Understory Herbaceous Species in Plantation Forests

Cheng Sun, Long Li, Xiaoyu Dong (), Fucang Qin and Zhenqi Yang
Additional contact information
Cheng Sun: College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Long Li: College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Xiaoyu Dong: College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Fucang Qin: College of Forestry, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010019, China
Zhenqi Yang: Institute of Water Resources for Pastoral Area of the Ministry of Water Resources of China, Hohhot 010020, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 17, 1-14

Abstract: Plant ecological niche characteristics are powerful representations of plant survival status. Understory herbaceous species in plantation forests are sensitive to local ecological environment changes; patterns of ecological niche changes of herbaceous plants under plantation forests are of great significance for maintaining the stability and sustainable development of plantation forest ecosystems. This study aims to explore the ecological niche characteristics of understory herbaceous species in plantation forests and their influencing factors. Six different site types of Pinus tabulaeformis plantations were selected from a stable plantation community in the feldspathic sandstone area of the Loess Plateau (China). The relative importance value and niche breadth were used as comprehensive quantitative indices to characterize the status, role, and degree of dominance of understory herbaceous species in plantation forests. We found few dominant species of understory herbaceous species in plantation forests, mostly companion species. The niche characteristics of understory herbaceous species in plantation forests varied significantly. For understory herbaceous species, the niche width was positively correlated with slopes and the niche overlap of the sunny slopes was positively relevant with slopes, while that of the shady slopes was negatively correlated. A canonical correspondence analysis indicated that several major factors influencing the niche breadth and niche overlap of understory herbaceous species in plantation forests were different. The canopy density and slope of plantation played a major role in the niche breadth and niche overlap of understory herbaceous species in plantation forests. In summary, the species distribution of understory herbaceous species in plantation forests was determined by site type. The canopy density and geographical slope were the dominant environmental factors for different ecological niche characteristics of understory herbaceous species. The ecological niche variation of different herbaceous species was the consequence of the integrated effects of the plantation and geographical environment.

Keywords: plantation forests; niche breadth; niche overlap; environmental interpretation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/17/10719/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/17/10719/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:17:p:10719-:d:900221

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().