Relationship of surface geology with species composition and richness of evergreen broad-leaved forests on Kuchinoerabujima Island, Japan

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  • 口永良部島における照葉樹林の種組成，種多様性と表層地質の関係
  • クチエラブジマ ニ オケル テリハ ジュリン ノ タネ ソセイ,タネ タヨウセイ ト ヒョウソウ チシツ ノ カンケイ

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Abstract

<p>Kuchinoerabujima Island is a volcanic island in Japan.　Many areas of the island are covered by secondary evergreen broad-leaved forests.　The surface geology of these forests is mainly classified into the following two types: （1） lava flow, where many exposed rocks are found, and （2） tephra deposit, where no exposed rocks exist.　We examined the influence of the surface geology on the species composition and richness of these forests. Forty-one stands were classified into four stand groups by two-way indicator analysis; three of the stand groups were in lava flows, whereas the surface geology of the other stand group was tephra deposit.　The sample scores for the first axis obtained by detrended correspondence analysis were strongly significantly correlated with exposed rock cover.　Species richness （i.e., the number of species per 100 m2） was significantly higher in lava flows than in tephra deposits, which may indicate a positive association between species richness and abundant exposed rocks.　Based on these results, we concluded that surface geology significantly affects the species composition and richness of secondary evergreen broad-leaved forests on Kuchinoerabujima Island, and that lava flows play an important role in preserving the overall species richness of these forests.</p>

Journal

  • Vegetation Science

    Vegetation Science 35 (1), 35-46, 2018

    The Society of Vegetation Science

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