Abstract:

The latest research advances on microsites and regeneration within canopy gap were systemically reviewed. The death of overstory trees creates gaps in forest canopies. As a kind of frequent small-scale disturbance, these canopy gaps make a positive impact on forests, including enhancing species diversity, getting the driver of temporal and spatial pattern variety. Disturbance firstly beget the difference of light within gap, further induce the change of temperature, humidity and soil character, finally result in temporal and spatial heterogeneity of microsites within gap. Gap disturbance have important effects on the emergence, survival, establishment and growth of seedling within gap through affecting microsites. The variety of species richness in seedband within gap is large, which is a important factor determining the distribute of seedlings. The seedling survival probability and seedling growth rates vary with the canopy opening size and seedling distance to gap edge. In the end of this paper, the near future development and the questions still need to be studied in detail were put forward.

Key words: canopy gap, microsites, regeneration, gap disturbance, seedling