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Biomass, production and nutrient distribution of a natural oak forest in central Korea
Author(s) -
SON Yowhan,
PARK In Hyeop,
YI Myong Jong,
JIN Hyun O,
KIM Dong Yeob,
KIM Rae Hyun,
HWANG Jung Ok
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1703.2003.00617.x
Subject(s) - biomass (ecology) , understory , environmental science , vegetation (pathology) , nutrient , forest floor , quercus variabilis , forestry , agronomy , ecosystem , ecology , botany , biology , geography , canopy , medicine , pathology
Biomass, production, and nutrient distribution of a pure Quercus variabilis Bl. stand (stand 1) and two mixed Q. variabilis – Q. mongolica Fisch. stands (stand 2 and 3) were investigated in central Korea. Stand 1 naturally occurred on a site with a southern aspect while stand 2 and stand 3 occurred on sites with a northern aspect. Total (overstory + understory vegetation) biomass (t ha ‐1 ) and annual production (t ha –1 year –1 ) were 137.8 and 11.1 for stand 1, 216.2 and 16.6 for stand 2, and 253.3 and 19.7 for stand 3. Nutrient contents (kg ha –1 ) in the vegetation were distributed as follows: K, 478–860; N, 471–839; Ca, 428–791; Mg, 72–125; Na, 77–141; and P, 37–71, and were greatest in stand 3 followed by stand 2, and stand 1. Stand density influenced the differences in biomass, annual production and nutrient contents in the vegetation. Forest floor dry mass and N content (kg ha –1 ) were 13 400 and 169 for stand 1, 10 400 and 133 for stand 2, and 11 200 and 127 for stand 3. Total amounts of N, P and Na in the ecosystem were greatest in the upper 40 cm of mineral soil followed by the vegetation and forest floor. However, the vegetation contained a greater amount of K than the mineral soil. It appeared that microenvironments, such as, aspect influenced the distribution of natural oak species within a relatively small area and resulted in differences in biomass, production and nutrient distribution among the stands.