Effects of physical environmental factors and other major trees on the distribution of Cerasus jamasakura in the secondary forest

Abstract

We investigated the spatial distribution and environmental conditions of individuals of Cerasus jamasakura in a secondary forest in the Chugoku Mountains developed from a fireweed meadow 70 years ago.　The study was conducted in an 80 m × 100 m plot.　Our analysis of the relationship between the spatial distribution of C. jamasakura and the major tall trees in the plot revealed that C. jamasakura was only significantly associated with Quercus serrata, namely C. jamasakura tended to be distributed away from Quercus serrata.　Using a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM), we analyzed the relationship between physical environmental factors (soil hardness, soil moisture, slope gradient, distance from forest road) and the distribution of major tree species.　 For Quercus serrata, no effective predictor variables were found in the GLMM.　For C. jamasakura, when including the biological factor of the number of spatially associated species: Quercus serrata, a positive correlation between the slope gradient and the distribution of C. jamasakura, as well as a negative correlation with the number of Quercus serrata.　It is suggested that the tendency for C. jamasakura to be distributed away from Quercus serrata may be related to interspecific competition.