Impacts of human activities on species diversity, species composition and cover of pteridophytes : A comparison of natural evergreen broad-leaved forests and secondary deciduous broad-leaved forests in south Yunnan, China

Abstract

We examined the effects of cutting and agricultural land reclamation on species diversity, species composition, and cover of pteridophytes. For this purpose, we compared natural evergreen broad-leaved forests with secondary deciduous broad-leaved forests established on post-agricultural sites in south Yunnan, China. The results showed that pteridophyte species diversity in secondary forests was similar to that in natural forests even considering the ecological traits of pteridophytes. Meanwhile, there remained slight differences in pteridophyte species composition: secondary forests were characterized mainly by the persistence of non-forest terrestrial species, whereas natural forests were characterized by the luxuriance of forest epiphytic species. In addition, the cover of non-forest terrestrial species was higher in secondary forests, whereas the covers of forest terrestrial species and forest epiphytic species were higher in natural forests. These findings suggest that although the study sites have a high potential for facilitating pteridophyte re-establishment, expansion of human interference should be avoided for ensuring the conservation of pteridophytes.