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. 2019 Oct 29;9(22):12802-12812.
doi: 10.1002/ece3.5757. eCollection 2019 Nov.

Scale-dependent intraspecific competition of Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) saplings in the Southern Turkey

Osman Yalçın Yılmaz  1 , Ali Kavgacı  2 , Orhan Sevgi  3 , Erdal Örtel  4 , Hüseyin Barış Tecimen  3 , Abdurrahman Çobanoğlu  2 , İsmet Yeşil  5
Affiliations

Scale-dependent intraspecific competition of Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) saplings in the Southern Turkey

Osman Yalçın Yılmaz et al. Ecol Evol. .

Abstract

Better understanding of the competitive interaction at the early development stages of the stand is crucial to help schedule silvicultural treatments for young stands and for the better management of the future stands. We used scale-dependent analysis to improve our understanding of sapling dynamics in the pure Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) stands in Southern Turkey. Using data from nine plots established at the western Taurus Mountains, diameter, height, and crown radii of saplings were compared, and spatial point pattern analyses were performed. We found significant differences for the mean diameter and height, and crown radii of saplings among the plots. Univariate pair correlation function showed that sapling pattern was regular only at small scales (r < 0.4 m) but was predominantly random. Bivariate pair correlation function revealed no evidence of spatial interaction between tall saplings and short saplings. Univariate mark correlation function revealed that strong intraspecific competition was detected at small scales (up to 0.55 m). This distance is reasonable for the juvenile age tending of Taurus cedar saplings and should be under consideration during silvicultural treatments to use the site productivity more efficiently.

Keywords: Cedrus libani; intraspecific competition; mark correlation function; sapling; spatial interaction.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Taurus cedar saplings. Photographed in Sütleğen, Turkey, August 2015
Figure 2
Figure 2
Maps showing the distribution of Taurus cedar stands in Southern Turkey (red points on the main map) and the location of the nine sample plots in the three site classes are shown on the color‐sliced elevation map (red: III site class, blue: IV site class, green: V site class)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Spatial distribution of the Taurus cedar tall saplings, that is, saplings with height exceeding the stand mean height (green circles) and short saplings, that is, saplings with height not exceeding the stand mean height (purple circles) individuals in the sampling plots. Crown coverages were used for projection. P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, and P9 represent the plot numbers
Figure 4
Figure 4
Stacked histogram graph showing the diameter distribution of tall saplings (red) and short saplings (blue) at each study plot (class bin 1 cm). 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 represent the plot numbers
Figure 5
Figure 5
Sapling spatial patterns quantified with the pair correlation function g(r) for the all saplings (left) and for the tall saplings (middle). In the right graphs, bivariate pair correlation function g12(r) between TS and SS. Envelopes of the acceptance regions of the CSR hypothesis are shaded. X‐axis shows the distance in meters between pairs of saplings
Figure 6
Figure 6
Mark correlation function, kmm(r), using crown radii as marks in all saplings (left) and tall saplings (middle). Mark connection function of TS and SS (right). X‐axis shows the distance in meters between pairs of saplings. Envelopes of the acceptance regions of the mark independence hypothesis are shaded
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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