Point Pattern Analysis of Four Main Plant Populations in Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forests Typical of Wuyi Mountains, Southeast China

Based on the data collected from a 1.44 hm² stationary sample plot of evergreen broad-leaved forest typical of the Wuyi Mountains, Southeast China, spatial distribution patterns of the plant community and the four major plant populations (Engelhardtia fenzelii, Castanopsis carlesii, Castanopsis fordii, and Syzygium buxifolium) in this study area and their interspecific relationships on different scales were studied using Ripley′L function in point pattern analysis and Programita software. Results show: (1) The sample plot is rich in species diversity, consisting of a total of 139 species of trees, among which, none is in obvious dominancy, while Engelhardia fenzelii ranks first in importance value, being 6.71%. The total number of the woody plants or trees that are listed as top 15 in importance accounts for 56% of the total of the forest. (2) The plant community and the four major plant populations are distributed mainly in cluster, except for the population of Castanopsis carlesii and the population of Syzygium buxifolium that shows certain randomicity on the scale of 42 -55 m and >47 - 60 m, respectively. The plant community was lowed lower than individual plant populations in congregation intensity. (3) Negative intra-specific relationships dominate between the four major plant populations, indicating that intense competitions between species, frequent subrogation of species and unstable composition and structure of the community.