%0 Journal Article
%T Vegetation change and emerging research feedback for Korean National Long Term Ecological Research (KNLTER)
%A Yong Chan Cho
%A Chang Seok Lee
%A Hyun Je Cho
%A Kyu Song Lee
%J Journal of Ecology and Field Biology
%D 2011
%I 
%X Various responses of forest ecosystems to climate change underscore the need to improve our understanding of theenvironmentally-driven changes in forests, most effectively by long-term monitoring protocols. We have explored vegetationdynamics based on changes in community structure, species composition, diversity and demographics in fourKorean National Long Term Ecological Research (KNLTER) sites--Mt. Nam, Mt. Jeombong, Mt. Worak, and Mt. Jiri--between 2004 and 2009. Most of the sites and forests studied exhibited increments in total basal area, but this was notobserved in Quercus mongolica forests in Mt. Nam and Mt. Worak. Stem density exhibited various changes. Altitudegradient was the representative factor in differences in species composition. Two patterns of compositional change--convergence and divergence--were detected. The vegetation of Mt. Nam and Q. mongolica community of Mt. Workshowed relatively larger changes in composition. However, in the other sites, few changes were observed. Changes ofspecies richness were not notable except for Mt. Nam, where three species were added in the pine forest, whereas onespecies disappeared in the oak forest. In the oak forests, mortality rate was as follows (in descending order): Mt. Nam(25.5%), Mt. Jeombong (24.3%), Mt. Worak (16.4%) and Mt. Jiri (0.8%). In the pine forest, the recruitment rate was as follows(in descending order): Mt. Nam (63.7%), Mt. Worak (12.9%), Mt. Jeombong (7.6%) and Mt. Jiri (7.3%). The mortalityrate and change rate of basal area were strongly negatively correlated (r = -0.9, P = 0.002), and the recruitment rate andchange rate of density were positively correlated (r = 0.77, P = 0.026). In the KNLTER sites, larger vegetation changes wereattributed to anthropogenic activities such as salvage logging. Suppression or competition for resources would also affectthese changes. Research suggestions such as monitoring to clarify the causes of species mortality were discussed.
%K Korea
%K LTER
%K mortality
%K Pinus densiflora
%K Quercus mongolica
%K recruitment
%K vegetation
%U http://ocean.kisti.re.kr/is/mv/showPDF_ocean.jsp?method=download&pYear=2011&koi=KISTI1.1003%2FJNL.JAKO201110441049370&sp=87&CN1=JAKO201110441049370&poid=kesk&kojic=STHHCL&sVnc=v34n1&sFree=