Effect of light intensity and nutrient on the seedling growth of the secondary Lauro- Fagaceae forest at Fushan area

Seedlings of five tree species in the secondary Lauro-Fagaceae forest at Fushan area were selected and grew under two light intensities ( strong, and weak or intermediate) and four nutrient amendments(N, P, complete fertilizer, and control) in the pots with forest surface soil Fushan. The five species were Castanopsis carlesii var. sessilis, Engelhardtia roxburhiana, Machilus zuihoensis, Sapium discolor, Schefflera octophylla. Over six or eleven months, the propioneer species (S. discolor, C. carlesii var. sessilis) would grow better under strong light intensity, while pro-climax species (E. roxburhardtia, M.zuihoensis, S. octophylla) would grow better underboth strong and intermediatelight intensities. The pro-pioneer species respond to N stronger than to P, while two of the three pro-climax species responded to P stronger than to N. Availiable P in this forest ecosystem is low. Therefore the different response pattern of these successional tree groups to light intensity and nutrient amendent may indicate their evolved adaptive strategies toward the availiable resource of this forest ecosystem.