open access

https://doi.org/10.14943/lowtemsci.73.21

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/59061

Transitional features of the ecosystem state and carbon dynamics after an episodic typhoon disturbance in a northern forest in Japan

日本語

2015-03-31

Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University

Low Temperature Science

0073

21-29

To assess the effects of typhoon-induced disturbance on vegetation state, foliage, and ecosystem carbon dynamics, we conducted a manipulation experiment to simulate typhoon disturbance in a northern forest in Japan. The experiment simulated a less intensive disturbance than one that would cause stand replacement, forcing the vegetation to form an alternative stable state. We ripped away most of the foliage from the overstory trees in an established plot. Three years after this disturbance,the foliage had recovered to one-third of its original state before the disturbance occurred,whereas the photosynthetic rate was markedly higher than that before the disturbance. The structural changes in the foliage of the overstory trees after the disturbance resulted in a brighter light environment at the forest floor,which favored the growth of understory vegetation. These results suggest that from a long-term viewpoint,widespread understory Sasa vegetation may disturb the regeneration of tree seedlings,creating an alternative stable state in which Sasa dominates in the next generation　of the forested area.

紀要論文

Version of Record

1880-7593