Effects of Microtopography on Neighborhood Diversity and Competition in Subtropical Forests
Forests are complex systems in which subtle variations in terrain can reveal much about plant community structure and interspecific interactions. Despite a wealth of studies focusing on broad-scale environmental gradients, the role of fine-scale topographic nuances often remains underappreciated, pa...
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2025-03-01
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| author | Jianing Xu Haonan Zhang Yajun Qiao Huanhuan Yuan Wanggu Xu Xin Xia |
| author_facet | Jianing Xu Haonan Zhang Yajun Qiao Huanhuan Yuan Wanggu Xu Xin Xia |
| author_sort | Jianing Xu |
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| description | Forests are complex systems in which subtle variations in terrain can reveal much about plant community structure and interspecific interactions. Despite a wealth of studies focusing on broad-scale environmental gradients, the role of fine-scale topographic nuances often remains underappreciated, particularly in subtropical settings. In our study, we explore how minute differences in microtopography—encompassing local elevation, slope, aspect, terrain position index (TPI), terrain ruggedness index (TRI), and flow direction—affect neighborhood-scale interactions among plants. We established an 11.56-hectare dynamic plot in a subtropical forest at the northern margin of China’s subtropical zone, where both microtopographic factors and neighborhood indices (density, competition, diversity) were systematically measured using 5 m × 5 m quadrats. Parameter estimation and mixed-effects models were employed to examine how microtopography influences plant spatial patterns, growth, and competitive dynamics across various life stages. Our findings demonstrate that aspect and TPI act as key drivers, redistributing light and moisture to shape conspecific clustering, heterospecific competition, and tree growth. Remarkably, sun-facing slopes promoted sapling aggregation yet intensified competitive interactions, while shaded slopes maintained stable moisture conditions that benefited mature tree survival. Moreover, in contrast to broader-scale observations, fine-scale TRI was associated with reduced species richness, highlighting scale-dependent heterogeneity effects. The intensification of plant responses with life stage indicates shifting resource demands, where light is critical during early growth, and water becomes increasingly important for later survival. This study thus advances our multiscale understanding of forest dynamics and underscores the need to integrate fine-scale abiotic and biotic interactions into conservation strategies under global change conditions. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-7632f11dd0454d128ea0d84516d217ed2025-08-20T02:42:28ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-03-0114687010.3390/plants14060870Effects of Microtopography on Neighborhood Diversity and Competition in Subtropical ForestsJianing Xu0Haonan Zhang1Yajun Qiao2Huanhuan Yuan3Wanggu Xu4Xin Xia5Innovative Research Team for Forest Restoration Mechanisms, Chishui National Ecological Quality Comprehensive Monitoring Stations, Research Laboratory for Protected Area Survey and Monitoring, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Nanjing 210042, ChinaInnovative Research Team for Forest Restoration Mechanisms, Chishui National Ecological Quality Comprehensive Monitoring Stations, Research Laboratory for Protected Area Survey and Monitoring, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Nanjing 210042, ChinaInnovative Research Team for Forest Restoration Mechanisms, Chishui National Ecological Quality Comprehensive Monitoring Stations, Research Laboratory for Protected Area Survey and Monitoring, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Nanjing 210042, ChinaInnovative Research Team for Forest Restoration Mechanisms, Chishui National Ecological Quality Comprehensive Monitoring Stations, Research Laboratory for Protected Area Survey and Monitoring, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Nanjing 210042, ChinaInnovative Research Team for Forest Restoration Mechanisms, Chishui National Ecological Quality Comprehensive Monitoring Stations, Research Laboratory for Protected Area Survey and Monitoring, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Nanjing 210042, ChinaInnovative Research Team for Forest Restoration Mechanisms, Chishui National Ecological Quality Comprehensive Monitoring Stations, Research Laboratory for Protected Area Survey and Monitoring, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Nanjing 210042, ChinaForests are complex systems in which subtle variations in terrain can reveal much about plant community structure and interspecific interactions. Despite a wealth of studies focusing on broad-scale environmental gradients, the role of fine-scale topographic nuances often remains underappreciated, particularly in subtropical settings. In our study, we explore how minute differences in microtopography—encompassing local elevation, slope, aspect, terrain position index (TPI), terrain ruggedness index (TRI), and flow direction—affect neighborhood-scale interactions among plants. We established an 11.56-hectare dynamic plot in a subtropical forest at the northern margin of China’s subtropical zone, where both microtopographic factors and neighborhood indices (density, competition, diversity) were systematically measured using 5 m × 5 m quadrats. Parameter estimation and mixed-effects models were employed to examine how microtopography influences plant spatial patterns, growth, and competitive dynamics across various life stages. Our findings demonstrate that aspect and TPI act as key drivers, redistributing light and moisture to shape conspecific clustering, heterospecific competition, and tree growth. Remarkably, sun-facing slopes promoted sapling aggregation yet intensified competitive interactions, while shaded slopes maintained stable moisture conditions that benefited mature tree survival. Moreover, in contrast to broader-scale observations, fine-scale TRI was associated with reduced species richness, highlighting scale-dependent heterogeneity effects. The intensification of plant responses with life stage indicates shifting resource demands, where light is critical during early growth, and water becomes increasingly important for later survival. This study thus advances our multiscale understanding of forest dynamics and underscores the need to integrate fine-scale abiotic and biotic interactions into conservation strategies under global change conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/870neighbor scaleneighborhood diversitycompetition indexmicrotopographicsubtropical forest |
| spellingShingle | Jianing Xu Haonan Zhang Yajun Qiao Huanhuan Yuan Wanggu Xu Xin Xia Effects of Microtopography on Neighborhood Diversity and Competition in Subtropical Forests Plants neighbor scale neighborhood diversity competition index microtopographic subtropical forest |
| title | Effects of Microtopography on Neighborhood Diversity and Competition in Subtropical Forests |
| title_full | Effects of Microtopography on Neighborhood Diversity and Competition in Subtropical Forests |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Microtopography on Neighborhood Diversity and Competition in Subtropical Forests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Microtopography on Neighborhood Diversity and Competition in Subtropical Forests |
| title_short | Effects of Microtopography on Neighborhood Diversity and Competition in Subtropical Forests |
| title_sort | effects of microtopography on neighborhood diversity and competition in subtropical forests |
| topic | neighbor scale neighborhood diversity competition index microtopographic subtropical forest |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/870 |
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