A Study on Sycopsis sinensis Community in Houhe Nature Reserve, Hubei Province

The characteristic of the community composition and structure as well as the population structure and the spatial distribution pattern of Sycopsis sinensis were studied in 2400 m² plots in Houhe Nature Reserve,Hubei Province.The results are as follows: species diversity is rich in Sycopsis sinensis community,including 92 vascular plants which belong to 80 genera,54 families.Sycopsis sinensis is the dominator in the community,and the percentage of its important value amounts to 50.95% in arbor layer.With the increment of the elevation,the total species diversity indicates the tendency of decreasing.The seedlings and the saplings of Sycopsis sinensis in the community are scarce,which may limit the recruitment and development of Sycopsis sinensis population.The general tendency reflected by the spatial distribution pattern shows that the most clumped distribution appeals in the scale of 6 m×6 m .Soil and heterogeneous micro-terrain may be the major ecological factors influencing the characteristics of the community.