Effects of management on vegetation dynamics and associated nutrient cycling in a karst area, Yunnan, SW China

摘要

The legacies of land use (such as plantations, pastures and coppices) in the Shilin karst area of central Yunnan, SW China have strongly influenced the plant communities' structure, dynamics, species diversity, litter nutrients inputs, and soil chemical properties. To evaluate the effects of various restoration approaches on ecosystem recovery in the area, we analyzed vegetation characteristics of a Pinus plantation, natural successional plant communities (the shrubland, the secondary forest and the natural premature forest), and their leaf litter nutrients and soil chemical properties. The natural successional plant communities had better regeneration, higher species diversity, higher litter nutrient input, and higher soil fertility as compared with the Pinus plantation. The results indicate that the natural secondary succession facilitates regeneration to young and old secondary forests, promotes recovery of plant diversity and cycling of litter-soil-nutrients, yielding greater ecological benefits. The study will provide guidance for restoration of the vegetation and for forest management planning in this fragile mountainous ecosystem.