Abstract:

The characters of gap edge effect of the forest communities are studied in Longxi Mountain, Fujian Province. The species diversity and ecological dominance as well as the index of the edge effect of 27 forest gaps which in different stands and different developing periods are measured by means of using Shannon-wiener index, Simpson index and the index of the edge effect. The results show that based on the measurement of the species diversity, the index of the gap edge effect in subtropical forest communities of Longxi Mountain is about 0.6～2.5, and on the basis of the ecological dominance index, the former result is about 0.4～1.3. The edge effect in gap edge areas have the trends to increase the species diversity of forest communities. This study can provide theoretical basis for maintenance of species diversity and forest management.

Key words: Forest community, Gap, Species diversity, Edge effect, Longxi Mountain