Masako Kubo, Hitoshi Sakio, Koji Shimano, Keiichi Ohno
Forest Regeneration: Ecology, Management and Economics 155-194 2009年1月1日
The Japanese riparian forest in the Pacific region is dominated by three deciduous trees as Fraxinus platypoda, Pterocarya rhoifolia and Cercidiphyllum japonicum. These species would regenerate and coexist with regeneration strategies adaptive to the riparian disturbances respectively. Many researchers have revealed ecological traits about F. platypoda and/or P. rhoifolia, we, moreover, clarified ecological traits of C. japonicum. The riparian forest in this study, in central Japan, includes various topographies
the sedimentation of mud stream, where is stable and gentle in slope, and V-shaped valley, where is unstable and steep slope. F. platypoda was distributed at all sites, especially in the stable area since due to their high shade tolerance, and, on the other hand, P. rhoifolia selected high growth than that of F. platypoda and established colonies of canopy tree immediately in the large disturbed area. We found C. japonicum make grand stands by numerous sproutings despite their fewer individuals in the riparian forest. Many C. japonicum canopy trees were distributed especially in the V-shaped valley but their juveniles were distributed under the P. rhoifolia canopy. C. japonicum germination site is the bare soil with steep slope, not the thick litter accumulation and/or gravel, because of their small seeds and seedlings. Their current-year seedlings were almost washed away by rain and/or running water, especially small seedlings in the dark light condition, since their germination site is difficult to survive. However, C. japonicum produced sequential sprouts as a result of endogenous factors such as aging, as it reached the canopy, and it produced many sprouts simultaneously as a result of external factors, such as gap formation and physical damage, in response to long-term environmental changes. There is a rare large disturbance to destroy the forest completely when various low-intensity, high-frequency disturbances occur in V-shaped valley, where C. japonicum could maintain themselves by sproutings for a long time, once regeneration occurs. Therefore, C. japonicum coexist with F. platypoda, most dominant tree with shade tolerance, and P. rhoifolia, secondarily dominant and pioneer tree, in the riparian forest. Three species, moreover, have habitat respectively in the community unit, and species composition indicates the comprehensive environment of their habitat.