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Current Resource Status and Evaluation of Population Dynamic Characteristics of the Endangered Semi-mangrove Species Dolichandrone spathacea for Its Conservation on Hainan Island, China
Tian, M.; Ke, X.; Li, M.; Deng, K.; Yang, Y.; Fang, Z.; Zhong, C.; Li, S.; Zhu, Z.; Tam, N.F.-Y.; Lang, T.; Zhou, H. Population Status of the Endangered Semi-Mangrove Dolichandrone spathacea on Hainan Island, China. Forests2024, 15, 865.
Tian, M.; Ke, X.; Li, M.; Deng, K.; Yang, Y.; Fang, Z.; Zhong, C.; Li, S.; Zhu, Z.; Tam, N.F.-Y.; Lang, T.; Zhou, H. Population Status of the Endangered Semi-Mangrove Dolichandrone spathacea on Hainan Island, China. Forests 2024, 15, 865.
Tian, M.; Ke, X.; Li, M.; Deng, K.; Yang, Y.; Fang, Z.; Zhong, C.; Li, S.; Zhu, Z.; Tam, N.F.-Y.; Lang, T.; Zhou, H. Population Status of the Endangered Semi-Mangrove Dolichandrone spathacea on Hainan Island, China. Forests2024, 15, 865.
Tian, M.; Ke, X.; Li, M.; Deng, K.; Yang, Y.; Fang, Z.; Zhong, C.; Li, S.; Zhu, Z.; Tam, N.F.-Y.; Lang, T.; Zhou, H. Population Status of the Endangered Semi-Mangrove Dolichandrone spathacea on Hainan Island, China. Forests 2024, 15, 865.
Abstract
Dolichandrone spathacea is a rare and endangered semi-mangrove plant species with an extremely small population, naturally distributed only in Zhanjiang City and the east coast of Hainan Island, China. Regrettably, the present situation of the D. spathacea population in China has not yet been carefully investigated. In this study, we aim to evaluate the current resource status and population dynamic characteristics of D. spathacea on Hainan Island, China, in order to propose sustainable conservation and management strategies for future ecological restoration of its natural population. Our results show that D. spathacea on Hainan Island can be divided into four populations. All the D. spathacea populations present a state of overall dispersion, local concentration, and occasionally sporadic existence, and they exist in geographical isolation. The young, middle, and old D. spathacea plants account for 20.42%, 66.20%, and 13.38%, respectively, indicating that the overall age class of the D. spathacea population on Hainan Island belongs to a declining type. Furthermore, instead of temporal structure, we chose diameter at breast height (DBH) to establish a static life table, draw a population survival curve, and quantify the future development trend through population dynamic analysis and time-series prediction. These results directly point out that the D. spathacea population on Hainan Island is sensitive to external disturbances and possesses two main increases in mortality rate—namely, in its juvenile and mature stages—due to weak vitality, competition, and anthropogenic interferences, which are the most important reasons for its endangered status. Depending on the current conditions of the D. spathacea population, we should conserve and expand mature trees in situ, preserve their germplasm resources, rehabilitate their habitats to promote provenance restoration, and conduct artificial cultivation and spreading planting in order to realize the sustainable conservation and management of D. spathacea.
Keywords
Mangrove; Dolichandrone spathacea; population dynamic characteristics; natural population; diameter at breast height; static life table
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.