Interspecies Association and Community Stability of Plants in the Core Distribution Area of Thuja sutchuenensis

The protection of endangered species is a hot topic for scholars worldwide, and interspecific association and community stability analysis are important methods with which to explore the structure and function of the endangered species community. Thuja sutchuenensis Franch. is an endangered species; however, studies on the T. sutchuenensis community remain insufficient. Here, based on the data of the plot survey of the T. sutchuenensis community in the Ta-pa Mountains and Xuebao Mountains, we analyzed the interspecific associations, niche width, and niche overlap of major species in the arborous and shrub layers, as well as community stability. The results showed that the overall interspecies association between the species of the arbor layer was non-significantly negatively associated, while the shrub layer was non-significantly positively associated. The Chi-square test results showed that the species pairs without interspecific association in the arbor layer and the shrub layer were much higher than those with significant interspecific association; in other words, the interspecific association of species in the T. sutchuenensis community was loose. The results of interspecific association coefficient analysis showed that the number of negatively associated species pairs was significantly higher than that of positive association species pairs, but Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Morisita’s niche overlap index analysis showed that the degree of competition between species in the community was small. In the arbor layer, the niche width of T. sutchuenensis was the widest, while in the shrub layer, the niche width of T. sutchuenensis was relatively high, indicating that T. sutchuenensis had a strong ability to adapt to the environment and use available resources. In addition, the intersection point of community stability (32.11, 67.89) in the vegetative community of T. sutchuenensis suggested that the community displayed a better stability. The survival strategy of T. sutchuenensis is based on its strong adaptability to the harsh environment to escape the competition among species, and this knowledge can provide a reference for the protection and restoration of endangered species.

[1]  Cheng Sun,et al.  Variations and Factors Characterizing Ecological Niches of Understory Herbaceous Species in Plantation Forests , 2022, Sustainability.

[2]  Changying Xia,et al.  Contrasting Responses of Multispatial Soil Fungal Communities of Thuja sutchuenensis Franch., an Extremely Endangered Conifer in Southwestern China , 2022, Microbiology spectrum.

[3]  Changying Xia,et al.  Comparative Analyses of Rhizosphere Bacteria Along an Elevational Gradient of Thuja sutchuenensis , 2022, Frontiers in Microbiology.

[4]  S. Dong,et al.  The Plant Interspecific Association in the Revegetated Alpine Grasslands Determines the Productivity Stability of Plant Community Across Restoration Time on Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau , 2022, Frontiers in Plant Science.

[5]  Mengli Zhou,et al.  Interspecific Association and Community Stability of Tree Species in Natural Secondary Forests at Different Altitude Gradients in the Southern Taihang Mountains , 2022, Forests.

[6]  D. Gautam,et al.  Niche breadth and overlap of spotted deer and domestic cattle with swamp deer in tropical region of Nepal , 2022, Ecological Processes.

[7]  Yongbo Liu,et al.  Chloroplast and Nuclear Genetic Diversity Explain the Limited Distribution of Endangered and Endemic Thuja sutchuenensis in China , 2021, Frontiers in Genetics.

[8]  Liqing Zhao,et al.  Spatial pattern and association of shrub species in gravel hilly and rocky low mountain desert dominated by relict Helianthemum songaricum in China , 2021, Global Ecology and Conservation.

[9]  Ying Li,et al.  How to Improve the Predictions of Plant Functional Traits on Ecosystem Functioning? , 2021, Frontiers in Plant Science.

[10]  T. Miller,et al.  The evolution of niche overlap and competitive differences , 2021, Nature Ecology & Evolution.

[11]  Aili Qin,et al.  Low genetic diversity and population differentiation in Thuja sutchuenensis Franch., an extremely endangered rediscovered conifer species in southwestern China , 2021 .

[12]  S. Qiu,et al.  Thujasutchins N and O, two new compounds from the stems and roots of Thuja sutchuenensis , 2020, Natural product research.

[13]  Huang Xiaobo,et al.  Interspecific association of woody plant species and community stability in the Eleutharrhena macrocarpa habitat , 2020 .

[14]  Liang Junqing,et al.  Community structure and dynamics of a remnant forest dominated by Thuja sutchuenensis after deforestation , 2020 .

[15]  Yuyang Zhang,et al.  Chloroplast genome of an extremely endangered conifer Thuja sutchuenensis Franch.: gene organization, comparative and phylogenetic analysis , 2020, Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants.

[16]  Mohammad Mousaei Sanjerehei,et al.  A comparison of methods for detecting association between plant species , 2020, Ecol. Informatics.

[17]  S. Piao,et al.  Ecosystem Traits Linking Functional Traits to Macroecology. , 2019, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[18]  S. Biswas,et al.  Negative relationship between interspecies spatial association and trait dissimilarity , 2018, Oikos.

[19]  B. Kang,et al.  [Interspecific association and functional group classification of the dominant populations in shrub layer in secondary forest of Pinus tabuliformis in Qinling Mountain, China.] , 2018, Ying yong sheng tai xue bao = The journal of applied ecology.

[20]  Zhi-wen Gong,et al.  Niches and Interspecific Associations of Dominant Populations in Three Changed Stages of Natural Secondary Forests on Loess Plateau, P.R. China , 2017, Scientific Reports.

[21]  R. Sukumar,et al.  Multidimensional tree niches in a tropical dry forest , 2017, Ecology.

[22]  Bo Liu,et al.  Maxent modeling for predicting impacts of climate change on the potential distribution of Thuja sutchuenensis Franch., an extremely endangered conifer from southwestern China , 2017 .

[23]  Q. Wen,et al.  Interspecific associations of plant populations in rare earth mining wasteland in southern China , 2017 .

[24]  D. Fornara,et al.  Temporal dynamics of nutrient uptake by neighbouring plant species: evidence from intercropping , 2017 .

[25]  M. McClaran,et al.  Direct effects dominate responses to climate perturbations in grassland plant communities , 2016, Nature Communications.

[26]  W. Hong,et al.  Ecological species groups and interspecific association of dominant tree species in Daiyun Mountain National Nature Reserve , 2015, Journal of Mountain Science.

[27]  Meng-tao Zhang,et al.  Distribution patterns and associations of dominant tree species in a mixed coniferous-broadleaf forest in the Changbai Mountains , 2015, Journal of Mountain Science.

[28]  Cindy Q. Tang,et al.  Community Structure and Survival of Tertiary Relict Thuja sutchuenensis (Cupressaceae) in the Subtropical Daba Mountains, Southwestern China , 2015, PloS one.

[29]  Jianfeng Liu,et al.  Genetic Diversity of the Critically Endangered Thuja sutchuenensis Revealed by ISSR Markers and the Implications for Conservation , 2013, International journal of molecular sciences.

[30]  Stephan Getzin,et al.  Testing the independent species’ arrangement assertion made by theories of stochastic geometry of biodiversity , 2012, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[31]  J. Ni,et al.  Spatial patterns and interspecific associations of dominant tree species in two old-growth karst forests, SW China , 2010, Ecological Research.

[32]  Zhang Jian,et al.  Niche characteristics of main herbage populations in Eucalyptus grandis plantation , 2010 .

[33]  J. Min.  INTER-SPECIFIC CORRELATIONS AMONG DOMINANT POPULATIONS OF TREE LAYER SPECIES IN EVERGREEN BROAD-LEAVED FOREST IN JIULIANSHAN MOUNTAIN OF SUBTROPICAL CHINA , 2009 .

[34]  R. Leimu,et al.  A Meta-Analysis of Local Adaptation in Plants , 2008, PloS one.

[35]  Caf Guangzhou.  Discussing on the Ecological Species Groups and Functional Groups Division Based on the Interspecific Association——A Case Study on the Arbor Layer Data in Tropical Lowland Rain Forest of Jianfenling, Hainan Island, China , 2007 .

[36]  Wang Xiang-fu.  Interspecific relationships of dominant tree species in Thuja sutchuenensis community , 2007 .

[37]  B. Enquist,et al.  Rebuilding community ecology from functional traits. , 2006, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[38]  Jonathan Silvertown,et al.  Plant coexistence and the niche , 2004 .

[39]  K. McCann.  The diversity–stability debate , 2000, Nature.

[40]  Z. Xian.  AN ANALYSIS OF INTERSPECIFIC ASSOCIATIONS IN SECONDARY SUCCESSION FOREST COMMUNITIES IN HEISHIDING NATURAL RESERVE, GUANGDONG PROVINCE , 2000 .

[41]  J. Silvertown,et al.  Hydrologically defined niches reveal a basis for species richness in plant communities , 1999, Nature.

[42]  Dolph Schluter,et al.  A Variance Test for Detecting Species Associations, with Some Example Applications , 1984 .

[43]  M. Godron,et al.  Some aspects of heterogeneity in grasslands of Cantal (France) , 1971 .

[44]  R. Levins.  Evolution in Changing Environments: Some Theoretical Explorations. (MPB-2) , 1968 .

[45]  L. C. Cole,et al.  The Measurement of Interspecific Associaton , 1949 .

[46]  F. Yates.  Contingency Tables Involving Small Numbers and the χ2 Test , 1934 .