title: [Forest gap characteristic in a coniferous-Picea likiangensis forest in the Yulong Snow Mountain Natural Reserve, Yunnan Province, China].
abstract: In this paper, some important parameters related to the gap disturbance regimes in a coniferous-Picea likiangensis forest in the Yulong Snow Mountain Natural Reserve, Yunnan Province were described. The results showed that expanded gaps occupied 42.5%, and canopy gaps occupied 28.8% of the land area in the forest. The frequency of gap disturbance was 35 gaps per hectares. There were 25% of small (gap area < 50 m2), 41% of middle (gap area 50-100 m2), and 34% of large (gap area > 100 m2) forest gaps. The most important manner of gap formation was the breakage at trunk base and its middle, and the secondly important manner was rotten. Gap maker in the forest was more than 80% of Picea likiangensis. The probability of making gaps was the greatest, when the big trees in the canopy layer got DBH 40-50 cm and height 15-25 m. Gaps formed by 1-2 gap makers was of 68.8%, and by 5 gap makers was seldom. The most of gap makers were 6 in a gap of the forest. The density of the seedlings in gap gradually increased with the forest gap from large to small.
authors.affiliation: Chengdu Institute Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China. liuqing@cib.ac.cn
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D028222:Picea / Q000254:growth & development*; D014197:Trees / Q000254:growth & development*