Effects of Rubber Plantation Restoration in National Parks on Plant Diversity and Soil Chemical Properties

• Published in: Diversity (Basel) 2024-11, Vol.16 (11), p.701
• Main Authors: Du, Chunyan, Li, Donghai, Wang, Weifeng, Yang, Xiaobo, Wu, Zhixiang, Yang, Chuan, Zhang, Yingying, Fu, Qingmao, Qi, Dongling
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ammonium; Analysis; Biological diversity; Carbon content; Chemical properties; China; Decommissioning; Ecological effects; Ecological function; ecological restoration; Ecological succession; Environmental protection; Flowers & plants; Forest management; Forests; National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest; National parks; National parks and reserves; Nitrogen; Organic carbon; Organic phosphorus; Organic soils; Phosphorus; Plant communities; Plant diversity; Plant layout; Plant species; Plantations; Plants (botany); Potassium; Rain forests; Rainforests; Recovery; Rubber; Rubber industry; rubber plantations left for natural succession; Soil acidity; Soil analysis; Soil chemistry; Soil investigations; Soil pH; Soil properties; Soils; Species composition; Species diversity; Species richness; Surveys; Sustainable development; Sustainable forestry; Total organic carbon; Tropical forests; Understory; Vegetation
• ISSN: 1424-2818; 1424-2818
• DOI: 10.3390/d16110701

Plantations left for natural succession play a significant role in Tropical Rainforest National Parks. Studying the succession and restoration of plantations is crucial for achieving a park’s authenticity and integrity, as well as for maximizing its ecological functions. However, the changes in vegetation and soil properties during the natural succession of these decommissioned plantations remain unclear. In this study, we examined rubber [(Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. Ex A. Juss.) Muell. Arg] plantations in the Yinggeling area of the National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest. We used community surveys, field sampling, and soil property analyses to investigate the species richness, diversity, and species composition of the aboveground plant communities during three succession periods of rubber plantations left for natural succession, including 0 years (ZY), 3 years (TY), and 7 years (SY). The soil pH, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and total potassium contents in the three succession periods were analyzed. These results showed that there were 92 species of understory plants in the decommissioned rubber plantations, belonging to 72 genera in 39 families. The highest number of understory plant species was found in the plantations with 3 years of natural succession, totaling 66 species from 49 genera in 29 families. The number of families, genera, and species followed the pattern TY > SY > ZY. The Margalef richness index (F), Simpson index (D), and Shannon–Wiener index (H) of understory plants in the 0-year succession plantations were significantly lower than those in the 3-year and 7-year succession plantations. However, there was no significant difference in the Pielou (EH) index among the succession gradients. The soil pH, nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N), and available phosphorus (AP) in the 0-year succession plantations were significantly higher than those in the 3-year and 7-year succession plantations. There were no significant differences in soil total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total organic carbon (TOC), and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) across the three succession gradients. The soil total potassium (TK) in the 3-year succession plantations was significantly higher than that in the 0-year and 7-year succession plantations. Soil available phosphorus and total phosphorus (TP) were positively correlated with the Margalef index, Simpson index, Shannon–Wiener index, and