Keping Ma1, Xiangcheng Mi1, Haibao Ren1, Jiangshan Lai1, Xiaojun Du1, Minli Chun1, Zhanqing Hao2, Xugao Wang2, Jian Zhang2, Ji Ye2, Wanhui Ye3, Honglin Cao3, Zhongliang Huang3, Min Cao4, Hua Zhu4, Yong Tang4, Mingjian Yu5, and Jianhua Chen6. (1) Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, (2) Shenyang Institute of Applied Ecology, CAS, (3) South China Botanical Garden, CAS, (4) Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS, (5) Zhejiang University, (6) Zhejiang Normal University
Background/Question/Methods We began to set up the Chinese Forest Biodiversity Monitoring Network (CForBio) in 2004. Such a network across latitude following the standard protocol can simultaneously answer such an important question: How do forest structure and biodiversity change with latitude gradients? Up to now, we have set up 4 forest dynamic plots (FDPs) more than 20 hectare and 5 5-hectare plots, representing different zonal forests across climatic zones. These plots are Changbaishan (CBS) 25-ha FDP and 1 5-ha plot standing for temperate coniferous and broadleaved mixed forests, Donglingshan 5-ha FDP for warm temperate broadleaved forests, Gutianshan (GTS) 24-ha FDP, Dinghushan (DHS) 20-ha FDP and 3 5-ha FDP for subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests, Xishuangbanna (XSBN) 20-ha FDP for seasonal tropical rain forests. These established plots, together with 3 planned plots of ≥ 20 hectares for warm temperate broadleaved deciduous forest and Karst tropical rain forest, constitute a network covering most of the dominant forest ecosystems in mainland of China. Results/Conclusions We found that most of species exhibit aggregated distributions matching with strong habitat heterogeneity in these plots except CBS plot located in gentle slope with 17.7 m of maximal elevation difference (268.6 m in GTS plot, 240 m in DHS plot, and 160 m in XSBN plot). Obvious latitude gradients in forest biodiversity were also found in these plots. 52 species belonging to 18 families and 32 genera are found in 38,902 stems dbh (diameter at breast height) ≥ 1 cm of CBS plot, 159 species belonging to 49 families and 103 genera in 140,700 stems of GTS plot, 210 species belonging to 56 families and 119 genera in 71,617 stems of DHS plot, and 468 species belonging to 70 families and 213 genera in 95,498 stems of XSBN plot. Interestingly, rare species ( ≤1 stem per ha) accounts for more than one-third of species richness in these plots, 34.6% in CBS plot, 37.1% in GTS plot, 52.38% in DHS plot and 49.14% in XSBN plot. Are those findings from tropical forests geographically biased? Are there special mechanisms of maintenance of Chinese forests different from other zones of the world? Based on the data found in CForBio, Chinese ecologists are attempting to answer these questions.
