Neighbourhood species richness reduces crown asymmetry of subtropical trees in sloping terrain

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Reforestation in sloping terrain is an important measure for soil erosion control and sustainable watershed management. The mechanical stability of such reforested stands, however, can be low due to a strong asymmetric shape of tree crowns. We investigated how neighbourhood tree species richness, neighbourhood pressure, tree height, and slope inclination affect crown asymmetry in a large-scale plantation biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment in subtropical China (BEF-China) over eight years. We took the advantage of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) measurements, which provide non-destructive, high-resolution data of tree structure without altering tree interactions. Neighbourhood species richness significantly reduced crown asymmetry, and this effect became stronger at steeper slopes. Our results suggest that tree diversity promotes the mechanical stability of forest stands in sloping terrain and highlight the importance of TLS-data for a comprehensive understanding of the role of tree diversity in modulating crown interactions in mixed-species forest plantations.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number1441
Number of pages14
JournalRemote Sensing
Volume14
Issue number6
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85127123382
ORCID /0000-0001-7408-425X/work/146165289

Keywords

Keywords

  • BEF-China, LiDAR, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning, crown asymmetry, crown complementarity, forestry, sloping terrain, terrestrial laser scanning