%0 Research article
%T Species-habitat associations in a northern temperate forest in China
%A Zhang, Chunyu
%A Zhao, Yazhou
%A Zhao, Xiuhai
%A von Gadow, Klaus
%D 2012
%J Silva Fennica
%V 46
%N 4
%R doi:10.14214/sf.907
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/907
%X This contribution identifies species-habitat associations in a temperate  forest in north-eastern China, based on the assumption that habitats  are spatially autocorrelated and species are spatially aggregated due to  limited seed dispersal. The empirical observations were obtained in a  large permanent experimental area covering 660 x 320 m. The experimental  area was subdivided into four habitat types using multivariate  regression tree (MRT) analysis. According to an indicator species  analysis, 38 of the 47 studied species were found to be significant  indicators of the MRT habitat types. The relationships between species  richness and topographic variables were found to be scale-dependent,  while the great majority of the species shows distinct  habitat-dependence. There are 188 potential species-habitat  associations, and 114 of these were significantly positive or negative  based on habitat randomization. We identified 139 significant  associations using a species randomization. A habitat is not a closed  system it may be both, either a sink or a source. Therefore, additional  to the randomization, the Poisson Cluster Model (PCM) was applied. PCM  considers the spatial autocorrelation of species and habitats, and thus  appears to be more realistic than the traditional randomization  processes. It identified only 37 associations that were significant. In  conclusion, the deviation from the random process, i.e. the high degree  of species spatial mingling may be explained by persistent immigration  across habitats.