Fertilization Effects on Understory Vegetation Biomass and Structurein Four Different Plantations

초록

Biomass and species diversity of understory vegetation after fertilization were studied for 28-year-old Quercus acutissima plantation (MQA), 29-year-old Pinus densiflora plantation (MPD), 8-year-oldBetula platyphylla var. japonica plantation after coal reclamation (YBP), and 4-year-old Pinus densifloraplantation after forest fire (YPD) in central Korea. Nitrogen + phosphorus + potasium (6:4:1) fertilizer wasaplied for 3 years from 2004. Thereafter photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and understory speciesrichnes and diversity were measured in late July-early August 2006. PAR (mol m2 s1) was higher at thetreatment (156.5) than at the control (268.7) for MPD. Total understory biomass (t ha1) was lower at thefertilization plot (1.8) than at the control plot (3.0) for YPD, however, there were no diferences in biomassbetwen fertilization and control plots for MQA, MPD and YBP. Total species number of understoryvegetation was higher for fertilization than for control at MPD (47 vs. 45) and YPD (21 vs. 13), and washigher for mature plantations (3 vs. 37 for MQA and 47 vs. 45 for MPD) than for young plantations (16treatment than at the control for MQA, YBP, and YPD while were lower at the fertilization treatment thanat the control for MPD, however, the diferences were not statisticaly significant. Our results indicate thatthere were no consistent patterns in light conditions, biomass and species richnes and diversity ofunderstory vegetation following fertilization. More detailed long-term studies with diferent fertilizeraplications would be necesary to conclude the influence of fertilization on understory vegetation in theregion.

키워드