Dinghushan

The 20 ha Dinghushan (DHS) permanent plot was established in lower subtropical evergreen Broadleaved forest in Dinghu Mountain of Guangdong province in 2005, with the geographical coordinate 23.10ºN, 112.32ºE and altitudes ranging from 230 to 470 m，and slope of 30-50 degree. Annual mean temperature in the region is 20.9℃. The annual average precipitation is 1927 mm.

The vegetation in Dinghu Mountain is the typical lower subtropical evergreen Broadleaved forest, which can be divided into ravine rain forest, lower subtropical Broadleaved forest, montane evergreen broadleaved forest or montane evergreen scrub and grass community along the elevation gradient.There are 71,617 individuals of  xylophyta which DBH≥1 cm, belonging to 210 species, 119 genera and 56 families in the plot. Vertical structure can be classified into three tree layers (upper, middle and low), one shrub layer and one herb layer and interlayer plants including liana and epiphytes. Castanopsis chinensis, Schima superba and Engelhardtia roxburghiana are the three most dominant species in the upper layer. Syzygium rehderianum, Craibiodendron scleranthum var. kwangtungense etc. are dominant species in the middle layer. And Aquilaria sinensis is the rare and endangered species in the plot.

The four research priorities in the DHS Plot are as followed: (1) Research on the adaptive mechanism and epigenetic diversity pattern of Castanopsis chinensispopulations in Dinghu mountain; (2) Distribution patterns of tree species in a lower subtropical forest: Linking plant functional traits and  hydraulic physiology to community assembly; (3) The local and regional effects on maintenance of eurychoric species and stenochoric species; (4) Measurement of tree species’ competition ability and development ability and testing their competition-colonization trade-off.

Principal Investigator: Wanhui Ye, Professor of South China Botanical Garden, CAS, majors in plant community ecology and population biology, and in recent years his research focus has been on maintenance of community species diversity and ecology of invasive alien species.

Research Team: Huang Zhongliang, Cao Honglin, Lian Juyu, Bin Yue, Wang Zhengfeng