Author(s): Qiuwen Chen; Ruihua Liu; Wenqing Shi
Linked Author(s): Qiuwen Chen
Keywords: Flooding, L-function; Riparian zones; Spatial point pattern
Abstract: Flooding is a common disturbance in riparian systems; however, the effects of spatial relationship between inter-and intraspecific species on the survival strategy of riparian plants subjected to seasonal flooding stress has not been systematically analyzed. This study investigated spatial patterns of two major riparian plant populations, Digitaria ciliaris (D. ciliaris) and Chrysopogon aciculatus (C. aciculatus) in the Lijiang River, China, and their impacts on the species resistance to flooding stress by Ripley’s L function and greenhouse experiments. The results showed that the interspecific relationship between D. ciliaris and C. aciculatus was weak; D. ciliaris had no obvious intraspecific spatial pattern, while C. aciculatus showed aggregation pattern and the aggregation intensified to a scale of 11 cm with flooding severity. The aggregation of C. aciculatus makes it survive under flooding stress, thus outcompete D. ciliaris indirectly. The discovered interspecific relationship and quantified intraspecific scale provide fundamental reference to riparian vegetation restoration.
Year: 2018