Intrinsic biotic factors and micro-site conditions drive seedling survival in a species with masting reproduction

1. Seedling recruitment following a masting event, where more fruits are produced in synchrony and intermittently compared to other species, plays a crucial role in determining species diversity and community structure. Such seedling recruitment can be super-abundant, but followed by high mortality shortly thereafter. Differences in biotic factors such seedling characteristics, competition and herbivory, and micro-site specific abiotic factors could determine seedling fate in space and time.

2. In a subtropical forest in south China, for two years using censuses conducted every one to two months, we monitored 40 seed traps and 120, 1 m2 quadrats in five 1-hectare plots located from 1400 m to 1850 m asl for the masting maple species, Acer campbellii subsp. sinense (Pax) P.C.DeJong . We measured biotic – conspecific and heterospecific seedling density, species richness, herbivory, seedling height and leaf number – and abiotic – canopy openness, slope, and aspect – factors to assess dr...

1. 结实大年（masting）指植物相较于其他物种同步且间歇地产出大量果实的现象，其后续的幼苗更新（seedling recruitment）对物种多样性与群落结构的构建起着关键作用。这类幼苗更新的初始规模往往极高，但随后会伴随短期内的高死亡率。幼苗自身特性、种内与种间竞争、植食程度等生物因子，以及微生境特异性非生物因子的差异，共同决定了幼苗在时空维度上的存活命运。
2. 本研究在中国南方亚热带森林开展，针对大年结实的槭树物种Acer campbellii subsp. sinense (Pax) P.C.DeJong，于两年间每1-2个月开展一次普查，对5块面积为1公顷、海拔1400米至1850米（asl）的样地内的40个种子收集器与120个1平方米样方进行了监测。我们测定了生物因子（同种与异种幼苗密度、物种丰富度、植食程度、幼苗株高与叶片数）与非生物因子（林冠开度、坡度与坡向），以评估……