AN ANALYSIS OF INTERSPECIFIC ASSOCIATIONS IN SECONDARY SUCCESSION FOREST COMMUNITIES IN HEISHIDING NATURAL RESERVE, GUANGDONG PROVINCE

A series of techniques including the analysis of variance, χ 2 and Ochiai were used together with a 2×2 contingency table in order to analyze the interspecific associations of dominant species in several different communities in a secondary succession series in Heishiding Natural Reserve, Guangdong Province. The results indicated that the association of species showed no correlation in early successional stages, a positive correlation in mixed forest stages, negative correlation in evergreen broad leaved forest stages dominated by heliophytes and a significant positive correlation in evergreen broad leaved forest stages dominated by mesophytes. The interspecific associations between the main species pairs were not formed by the early successional stage but came into being in the mixed forest stage and evergreen broad leaved forest stage dominated by heliophytes. Most associations indicated competition between species pairs and showed direct competition. Complicated interspecific associations were formed in evergreen broad leaved forests dominated by mesophytes. In this forest there were positive interspecific associations between species pairs in the same tree layer and negative interspecific associations between species pairs in across layers.