The effects of microhabitat, plant litter, and seed burial on the regeneration of Quercus wutaishanica and Pinus tabulaeformis

Abstract

The effects of microhabitat (shrubs and herbs), plant litter, and seed burial on the regeneration of Liaodong oak (Quercus wutaishanica Mayr) and Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) were studied in three typical stands (Liaodong oak forest, Chinese pine plantation, and grassland) in the Loess Plateau, China. We monitored the establishment and growth of seedlings of these two woody species in sown experimental plots, in which shrubs and herbs, plant litter, and seed burial were manipulated. In the grassland, shrubs and herbs facilitated Liaodong oak establishment, with no effect on the establishment of Chinese pine. In the two forest stands, shrubs and herbs primarily had an inhibition effect on the establishment of these trees. The effects of plant litter were facilitation or inhibition, depending on the target species and the habitat. Seed burial had a positive effect on seedling establishment. In all three habitats, shrubs and herbs had inhibition effects on seedling growth of both tree species. Plant litter and seed burial did not influence seedling growth in either species. Liaodong oak and Chinese pine use different regeneration strategies during early stages of succession and similar strategies during late stages of succession.

Keywords:

• microhabitat
• Pinus tabulaeformis
• plant litter
• Quercus wutaishanica
• seed burial

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to S. Wang, J. Sun, J. Hao, H. Li, and F. Xia for their help in collecting field data. We also thank Z. Zhu for his constructive comments on the manuscript and linguistic corrections.

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Shaanxi Normal University [grant number GK201302023] and the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 31100311].

Additional information

Funding

Funding:This work was supported by grants from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Shaanxi Normal University [grant number GK201302023] and the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 31100311].