Plant-plant interactions play a key role in regulating the composition and structure of communities and ecosystems. Studies of plant-plant interactions in forest ecosystems have traditionally concentrated on either tree-tree interactions or overstory species' impacts on understory plants. The possible effects of understory species on overstory trees have received less attention. We summarized the effects of understory species on soil physiological properties, soil fauna activities, leaf litter decomposition, and ecophysiology and growth of the overstory species. Then the effects of distur-bance on understory-overstory interactions were discussed. Finally, an ecophysiology-based concept model of understory effects on overstory trees was proposed. Understory removal experiments showed that the study area, overstory species age, soil fertility and understory species could significantly affect the understory-overstory interactions.
植物间交互作用在植物群落和生态系统的组成、结构、功能等方面发挥着重要作用.在过去的森林生态系统研究中,更多地关注上层乔木之间的相互作用或乔木层对下层植被的影响,较少研究林下层植被对上层乔木生理生态和生长的影响.本文综述了去除林下层植被对土壤理化性质、土壤动物区系、凋落物分解及上层乔木生理生态和生长的影响,讨论了外界干扰对林下植被-乔木层竞争关系的影响,提出林下植被对上层乔木影响的生理生态学机理概念模型.研究区域、乔木林龄、地力条件、林下植物种类是影响林下层植被-乔木层竞争关系的重要因素.
Keywords: forest management; plant-plant interaction; understory removal experiment; understory vegetation.