Community dynamics of Ogawa Forest Reserve, a species rich deciduous forest, central Japan

Abstract

Forest community dynamics were studied for 4 years in a 6 ha permanent plot of species rich, old-growth, temperate deciduous forest in Ogawa Forest Reserve, central Japan. The gap formation rate, recruitment, mortality, gain and loss rate in basal area during 4 years were 42 m2 ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, 1.74% yr⁻¹, 1.19% yr⁻¹, 1.12% yr⁻¹ and 0.88% yr⁻¹, respectively. The turnover time calculated from them ranged from 58 to 240 years. Both the mortality and mortality factors were size dependent; trees in middle size class had smallest mortality, and the proportion of the trees killed by disturbances increased with size. Gap creations were concentrated in a particular year, suggesting a large heterogeneity in time. Spatial distribution of recruited trees were biassed to the old gaps (older than 4 years), especially that of the species with Bell-shaped dbh distribution (shade intolerant) strongly associated with the gaps. Recruitment in tree stems and the loss of basal area, thus had the larger variability than mortality of stems and this forest, and the species with L-shaped dbh distribution seemed to going to increase the importance in the future if the present trend continues to be held. The turnover time of population is positively correlated with the maximum dbh size of the species, indicating the slow change of the population of large sized species.