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Abstract:
Experimental forest plantations to study biodiversity–
ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships have
recently been established in different regions of the world,
but subtropical biomes have not been covered so far. Here,
we report about the initial survivorship of 26 tree species in
the first such experiment in subtropical China. In the
context of the joint Sino–German–Swiss Research Unit
‘‘BEF-China,’’ 271 experimental forest plots were established
using 24 naturally occurring tree species and two
native commercial conifers. Based on the survival inventories
carried out in November 2009 and June 2010, the
overall survival rate was 87 % after the first 14 months.
Generalized mixed-effects models showed that survival
rates of seedlings were significantly affected by species
richness, the species’ leaf habit (deciduous or evergreen),
species identity, planting date, and altitude. In the first
survey, seedling establishment success decreased with
increasing richness levels, a tendency that disappeared in
the second survey after replanting. Though evergreen
species performed less well than deciduous species with
establishment rates of 84 versus 93 % in the second survey,
their planting success exceeded the general expectation for
subtropical broad-leaved evergreen species. These results
have important implications for establishing mixed-species
plantations for diversity conservation and improvement of
ecosystem functioning in the Chinese subtropics and elsewhere.
Additional costs associated with mixed-species
plantations as compared to conventional plantations also
demonstrate the potential of upscaling BEF experiments to
large-scale afforestation projects.
