Carbon storage capacity of different plantation types under sandstorm source control program in Hebei Province,China

Afforestation and reforestation are effective and ecological ways of mitigating elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO2) concentration and increasing carbon(C) storage in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we measured the above-ground(tree, herbaceous plants and litter) and below-ground(root and soil) C storage in an aspen plantation(Populus davidiana) monoculture(PD), a larch plantation(Larix pincipis-rupprechtii) monoculture(LP), a pine plantation(Pinus tabulaeformis) monoculture(PT), a larch and birch mixed plantation(L. pincipis-rupprechtii and Betula platyphlla mixed)(MLB), and an apricot plantation(Armeniaca sibirica) monoculture(AS) under the Desertification Combating Program in Hebei Province, the northern China. The objective was to assess the effect of afforestation species on ecosystem C pools of different plantation types. Results showed that C storage of LP stand(258.0 Mg/ha) and MLB(163.4 Mg/ha) were significantly higher than the C storage in PD(45.5 Mg/ha), PT(58.9 Mg/ha) and AS(49.4 Mg/ha), respectively. Soil C was the main carbon pool of the ecosystem C storage in the five plantation stands, ranging from 31.4 Mg/ha to 232.5 Mg/ha, which accounted for 69.0%–90.1% of the total ecosystem C storage. The C storage in tree layer was about 5.2%–23.2% of ecosystem C storage. The herbaceous plants and litter layers contained 1.0%–6.0% and 1.5%–3.3% of ecosystem C storage, respectively. Our results suggest that tree species should be incorporated to accurately develop regional C budget of afforestation program, and also imply that substantial differences in ecosystem C stocks among plantation types can facilitate decision making on C management.     

Interception of sulfate deposition from a closed canopy to a forest gap edge canopy in a subalpine dragon spruce plantation

Reducing the threats of sulfate ion(SO_4~(2-))deposition to terrestrial ecosystems is a great challenge.The canopy interception effect on SO_4~(2-)deposition has been well documented,but the interception efficiency of the gap edge remains unknown.Therefore,a subalpine dragon spruce(Picea asperata) plantation was evaluated in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.The dynamics of the SO_4~(2-) concentration in the throughfall were investigated from the gap edge to the closed canopy during the rainfall and snowfall periods from August 2015 to July 2016.The annual input of SO_4~(2-) totaled 2.56 kg/ha through rainfall and 0.69 kg/ha through snowfall.The total annual net interception fluxes(NIFs) of SO_4~(2-) at the gap edge and in the closed canopy were 1.48 kg/ha and 0.66 kg/ha,respectively,and the net interception ratios(NIRs) accounted for 45.40% and 20.25%,respectively.The NIF and the NIR of SO_4~(2-) at the gap edge were higher than those in the closed canopy.Therefore,the results suggested that a significant amount of SO_4~(2-) deposition was intercepted by the tree canopy in the subalpine plantation,with more SO_4~(2-) deposition at the gap edge than in the closed canopy,which is beneficial for improving the water quality in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River via forest management.     

Effects of stand characteristics on tree species richness in and around a conservation area of northeast Bangladesh

We investigated the effect of tree cover, forest patch and disturbances on tree species richness in a highly diverse conservation area of northeast Bangladesh. A systematic sampling protocol was adopted and 80 sub-plots from twenty five 1 ha plots were used for the vegetation survey. Linear regression analysis was performed to understand the effect of patch area, disturbances and tree cover on tree species richness. Ordination using Redundancy analysis (RDA) and Non-metric Multi Dimensional Scaling (NMDS) were also performed to explore the tree species compositional similarities along the stand characteristics gradient and locations of the sample plots. Our study revealed that, forest patch size has greater influence on species richness. Areas with medium level of disturbances have shown greater species richness. In constrained ordination the selected explanatory variables regulated the richness of common species. Our findings can be useful for better forest management and restoration of landscapes of conservation needs using ecologically important species.     

Forest fragmentation and human population varies logarithmically along elevation gradient in Hindu Kush Himalaya - utility of geospatial tools and free data set

Hindu Kush Himalaya(HKH) is the largest and the most diverse mountain region in the world that provides ecosystem services to one fifth of the total world population. The forests are fragmented to different degrees due to expansion and intensification of human land use. However, the quantitative relationship between fragmentation and demography has not been established before for HKH vis-à-vis along elevation gradient. We used the globally available tree canopy cover data derived from Landsat-TM satellite to find out the decadal forest cover change over 2000 to 2010 and their corresponding fragmentation levels. Using SRTMderived DEM, we observed high forest cover loss up to2400 m that highly corroborated with the population distribution pattern as derived from satellite observation. In general, forest cover loss was found to be higher in south-eastern part of HKH. Forest fragmentation obtained using ‘area-weighted mean radius of gyration' as indicator, was found to be very high up to 2400 m that also corroborated with high human population for the year 2000 and 2010. We observed logarithmic decrease in fragmentation change(area-weighted mean radius of gyration value),forest cover loss and population growth during 2000-2010 along the elevation gradient with very high R~2 values(i.e., 0.889, 0.895, 0.944 respectively). Our finding on the pattern of forest fragmentation and human population across the elevation gradient in HKH region will have policy level implication for different nations and would help in characterizing hotspots of change. Availability of free satellite derived data products on forest cover and DEM, griddata on demography, and utility of geospatial tools helped in quick evaluation of the forest fragmentation vis-a-vis human impact pattern along the elevation gradient in HKH.     

Effects of patch size,disturbances on diversity and structural traits of tropical semi-evergreen forest in the lowland Indo Burma hotspot: implication on conservation of the threatened tree species

Information on geographic distribution, population and threat status of most globally red listed species in the Indo Burma zone are inadequate. Given the increase in the prevalence of isolated forest patches in the part of this hotspot, evaluation is necessary on how size of the remnant forest patches and on-going disturbances affects structure and diversity of remaining habitats including the population of some globally threatened tree species. Quantitative vegetation inventory by 500 m long and 10 m wide (0.5 ha) line transects were randomly set in nine fragmented tropical semi-evergreen forest patches in Tripura, Northeast India. The studied forests patches grouped into small, medium and large based on their respected sizes. Spatial variability was analysed in woody species diversity and structure along the patch size gradients and their response to both patch size and anthropogenic disturbances. Out of 167 species, 13 identified as red-listed species by IUCN under the present inventory. Most of the diversity and structural parameters showed statistically significant positive response with the forest patch size, except for stand dominance, disturbance, sapling density and number of aggregated distribution pattern decreased when patch size increased. In addition, most of the diversity and structural attributes showed negative response with disturbances. Present baseline data would serve as an effective tool for management and protection of this important forest type. Future habitat restoration programme and strategies for relocation of additional population and re-introduction of those globally threatened trees are recommended.     

Alternative stable states in mountain forest ecosystems: the case of European larch(Larix decidua) forests in the western Alps

European larch(Larix decidua) forests of the western Alps form extensivecultural landscapes whose resilience to global changes is currently unknown. Resilience describes the capacity of ecological systems to maintain the same state, i.e., the same function, processes, structure, and composition despite disturbances, environmental changes and internal fluctuations. Our aim is to explore the resilience of larch forests to changes in climate and land use in the western Italian Alps.To do so, we examined whether larch forests can be described as an alternative stable state in mountain forest ecosystems. We used tree basal area data obtained from field forest inventories in combination with topography, forest structure, land use, and climate information. We applied three different probabilistic methods: frequency distributions, logistic regressions, and potential analyses to infer the resilience of larch forests relative to that of other forest types.We found patters indicative of alternative stable states: bimodality in the frequency distribution of the percent of larch basal area, and the presence of an unstable state, i.e., mixed larch forests, in the potential analyses. We also found:(1) high frequency ofpurelarchforestsathighelevation,(2)the probability of pure larch forests increased mostly with elevation, and(3) pure larch forests were a stable state in the upper montane and subalpine belts.Our study shows that the resilience of larch forests may increase with elevation, most likely due to the altitudinal effect on climate. Under the same climate conditions, land use seems to be the main factor governing the dominance of larch forests. In fact, subalpine larch forests may be more resilient, and natural succession after land abandonment, e.g., towards Pinuscembra forests, seems slower than in montane larch forests. In contrast, in the upper montane belt only intense land use regimes characterized by open canopies and forest grazing may maintain larch forests.We conclude that similar approaches could be applied in other forest ecosystems to infer the resilience of tree species.     

Impacts of reforestation on woody species composition,species diversity and community structure in dry-hot valley of the Jinsha River,southwestern China

To understand the impacts of reforestation on woody species composition, species diversity and community structure, seven plantation forests in dry-hot valley of the Jinsha River in Southwest China were investigated, with adjacent wastelands, natural shrub grassland and a natural forest as references. Species importance value, species richness, species heterogeneity and Sorenson similarity index between plantations and the natural forest were analyzed. Results indicated that compared to wastelands and natural shrub grassland, reforestation improved species diversity and community structure, and more forest woody species found suitable habitats in plantations. Species diversity in understory of plantations and Sorenson similarity index were significantly negatively correlated with stem density in mature plantations (26-31 years old). Higher species diversity and Sorenson similarity index existed in mature sparse plantations due to lower stem density and more tree species planted initially. In contrast, reference natural forest, with species heterogeneity of 2.28 for shrub layer, showed the highest species diversity. It would take a long time for species composition and diversity to recover through reforestation in a dry-hot valley. Therefore, it was essential to protect remnant natural forests strictly and reforest with suitable management such as lower stem density and increasing genetic diversity of trees planted.     

结合Gabor小波和形态学的高分辨率图像树冠提取方法

树冠信息的遥感提取能有效辅助森林参数反演、林分长势监测、树种识别等森林调查活动。随着遥感信息自动化提取的需求不断加强,本文基于高空间分辨率遥感数据,以滁州市皇甫山林场为研究区域,设计了一种结合Gabor小波和形态学的树冠提取方法。该方法首先采用Gabor小波提取出纹理特征,其次结合K-means聚类分析方法,对PCA降维后的纹理特征向量提取出阔叶林区,最后基于形态学理论降低影像噪声,并利用前景后景标记的分水岭方法进行单木树冠提取。经过与人工解译的树冠信息结果对比发现,在郁闭度较高的阔叶林区,该自动化方法提取树冠精度较高,分割准确率A_d为79.59%,F测度达到了79.00%能有效提供精确的单木树冠信息,为林业经济调查技术的发展具有一定的实践意义。     

Alternative stable states in mountain forest ecosystems: the case of European larch (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Larix decidua</Emphasis>) forests in the western Alps

European larch (Larix decidua) forests of the western Alps form extensive cultural landscapes whose resilience to global changes is currently unknown. Resilience describes the capacity of ecological systems to maintain the same state, i.e., the same function, processes, structure, and composition despite disturbances, environmental changes and internal fluctuations. Our aim is to explore the resilience of larch forests to changes in climate and land use in the western Italian Alps. To do so, we examined whether larch forests can be described as an alternative stable state in mountain forest ecosystems. We used tree basal area data obtained from field forest inventories in combination with topography, forest structure, land use, and climate information. We applied three different probabilistic methods: frequency distributions, logistic regressions, and potential analyses to infer the resilience of larch forests relative to that of other forest types. We found patters indicative of alternative stable states: bimodality in the frequency distribution of the percent of larch basal area, and the presence of an unstable state, i.e., mixed larch forests, in the potential analyses. We also found: (1) high frequency of pure larch forests at high elevation, (2) the probability of pure larch forests increased mostly with elevation, and (3) pure larch forests were a stable state in the upper montane and subalpine belts. Our study shows that the resilience of larch forests may increase with elevation, most likely due to the altitudinal effect on climate. Under the same climate conditions, land use seems to be the main factor governing the dominance of larch forests. In fact, subalpine larch forests may be more resilient, and natural succession after land abandonment, e.g., towards Pinus cembra forests, seems slower than in montane larch forests. In contrast, in the upper montane belt only intense land use regimes characterized by open canopies and forest grazing may maintain larch forests. We conclude that similar approaches could be applied in other forest ecosystems to infer the resilience of tree species.     

Effects of forest roads on habitat pattern for sables in Da Hinggan Mountains,northeasten China

The anthropogenic managements of forest have created a network of roads resulting in the loss and alternation of habitat. To better understand road＇s impact on animal habitats, we assessed the habitat pattern of sables （Martes zibellina）, one of rodents within national first-class protected species, when roads are considered in Huzhong area in Da Hinggan Mountains, northeastern China. Em- ploying published literatures about behavior ecology, aerial photographs and forest stand maps, we classified the study area into three habitat types including best-suitable, suitable and unsuitable habitats based on sable habitat requirements at the landscape scale includ- ing four variables derived from forest source map with attribute database. Results indicated the loss and significant fragmentation of best-suitable habitat and home range habitat when roads, especially 150 m avoidance distance of roads, were considered. The roads re- duced and fragmented highly suitable habitats more significantly during earlier development period than the later development period. Additionally, the suitable area percentage increased with increasing distance to roads. This study helped to identify the suitable area for sables and location of sable population. Also, this study suggested the passage construction and road management involving road clo- sure and removal will reduce the fragmentation functionally and benefit the sable population.     

Identifying indigenous tree species for land reforestation,forest restoration,and plantation transformation on Hainan Island,China

Selecting suitable species is the most important issue for bare land reforestation, degraded secondary forest restoration, and single-species plantation transformation. However, little information has been documented related to tree species selection for these silvicultural endeavors on tropical Hainan Island of Southern China. The present study employed Baisha County, the ecological core area of Hainan Island, as a case study area. We initially inventoried a slightly disturbed primary forest and attempted to produce diameter distribution curves for each tree species. Second, the tree species were classified into shade intolerant, opportunist, and shade tolerant species based on shape of their diameter distribution curves. Third, market value was determined for each tree species based on published literature and on-site investigations at local wood trading companies. Totally 118 tree species were encountered in the inventoried forest and 13 tree species present were finally identified as potential tree species for our silvicultural endeavor on Hainan Island, of which 3 species are shade intolerant, 5 species are opportunist and 5 species are shade tolerant. Additionally, we also selected 12 tree species that were not in the inventoried forest but were extremely economically valuable and ecologically important. This study should contribute to the formulation of a sustainable forest management strategy on Hainan Island and the methodology might be replicated in other tropical region where suitable species also need to be identified for silvicultural endeavor.     

Effective seed distribution pattern of an upward shift species in alpine tundra of Changbai Mountains

The vegetation of alpine tundra in the Changbai Mountains has experienced great changes in recent decades. Narrowleaf small reed(Deyeuxia angustifolia), a perennial herb from the birch forest zone had crossed the tree line and invaded into the alpine tundra zone. To reveal the driven mechanism of D. angustifolia invasion, there is an urgent need to figure out the effective seed distribution pattern, which could tell us where the potential risk regions are and help us to interpret the invasion process. In this study, we focus on the locations of the seeds in the soil layer and mean to characterize the effective seed distribution pattern of D. angustifolia. The relationship between the environmental variables and the effective seed distribution pattern was also assessed by redundancy analysis. Results showed that seeds of D. angustifolia spread in the alpine tundra with a considerable number(mean value of 322 per m2). They were mainly distributed in the low elevation areas with no significant differences in different slope positions. Effective seed number(ESN) occurrences of D. angustifolia were different in various plant communities. Plant communities with lower canopy cover tended to have more seeds of D. angustifolia. Our research indicated reliable quantitative information on the extent to which habitats are susceptible to invasion.     

Observations and modeling of incoming longwave radiation to snow beneath forest canopies in the west Tianshan Mountains,China

Forest canopy reduces shortwave radiation and increases the incoming longwave radiation to snowpacks beneath forest canopies. Furthermore, the effect of forest canopy may be changed by complex topography. In this paper, we measured and simulated the incoming longwave radiation to snow beneath forest at different canopy openness in the west Tianshan Mountains, China(43°16'N, 84°24'E) during spring 2013. A sensitivity study was conducted to explore the way that terrain influenced the incoming longwave radiation to snow beneath forest canopies. In the simulation model, measurement datasets, including air temperature, incoming shortwave radiation above canopy, and longwave radiation enhanced by adjacent terrain, were applied to calculate the incoming longwave radiation to snow beneath forest canopy. The simulation results were consistent with the measurements on hourly scale and daily scale. The effect of longwave radiation enhanced by terrain was important than that of shortwave radiation above forest canopy with different openness except the 20% canopy openness. The longwave radiation enhanced due to adjacent terrain increases with the slope increase and temperature rise. When air temperature(or slope) is relatively low, thelongwave radiation enhanced by adjacent terrain is not sensitive to slope(or air temperature), but the sensitivity increases with the decrease of snow cover area on sunny slope. The effect of longwave radiation is especially sensitive when the snow cover on sunny slope melts completely. The effect of incoming shortwave radiation reflected by adjacent terrain on incoming longwave radiation to snow beneath forest canopies is more slight than that of the enhanced longwave radiation.     

Impact factors identification of spatial heterogeneity of herbaceous plant diversity on five southern islands of Miaodao Archipelago in North China

Herbaceous plants are widely distributed on islands and where they exhibit spatial heterogeneity. Accurately identifying the impact factors that drive spatial heterogeneity can reveal typical island biodiversity patterns. Five southern islands in the Miaodao Archipelago, North China were studied herein. The spatial distribution of herbaceous plant diversity on these islands was analyzed, and the impact factors and their degree of impact on spatial heterogeneity were identified using CCA ordination and ANOVA. The results reveal 114 herbaceous plant species, belonging to 94 genera from 34 families in the 50 plots sampled. The total species numbers on different islands were significantly positively correlated with island area, and the average α diversity was correlated with human activities, while the β diversity among islands was more affected by island area than mutual distances. Spatial heterogeneity within islands indicated that the diversities were generally high in areas with higher altitude, slope, total nitrogen, total carbon, and canopy density, and lower moisture content, pH, total phosphorus, total potassium, and aspect. Among the environmental factors, pH, canopy density, total K, total P, moisture content, altitude, and slope had significant gross effects, but only canopy density exhibited a significant net effect. Terrain affected diversity by restricting plantation, plantation in turn influenced soil properties and the two together affected diversity. Therefore, plantation was ultimately the fundamental driving factor for spatial heterogeneity in herbaceous plant diversity on the five islands.     

四川石棉森林碳密度空间数据知识挖掘及分布特征分析

森林植被碳密度是衡量森林生态系统服务功能和产品供给功能高低的一个重要指标.本文以四川省石棉县为例,在森林资源二类调查数据的基础上,提出建立森林植被生物量、碳量及其密度GIS数据库,开展其碳密度分布知识发现的研究,从中发现了该县碳密度分布知识.该县有林地森林植被碳量达到364万t,冷杉、云杉、铁杉和桦木占总碳量的83％;...     

Intermediate-scale analysis of landscape characteristics affecting edge formation in burned forests in Samcheok,Korea

Compared to burn interiors, edges exhibit distinct biotic and abiotic conditions that include microclimate, wind speed, sunlight levels, soil composition, moisture content, nutrient availability, population density, and species diversity. This study characterized the landscapes in which burned forest edges formed in Samcheok, Korea. Over the study area, 500-m2 grid cells were generated to capture landscape characteristics. Grid cells intersecting burn boundary lines were designated as edge, while cells without these lines were classified as the interior of burned areas. Topographic variables including slope, elevation, topographic wetness index, solar radiation index, and proportions of fuel and land use types within grid cells were computed in a geographical information system （GIS）. Correlation analysis with modified t-test and regression tree analysis were performed to explore the influences of landscape variables on edge formation with avoiding spatial autocorrelation problems. The results indicated that edges formed at low elevations with mild slopes, high topographic wetness, and low solar radiation. Edges were unlikely to form in areas dominated by Japanese red pines at low elevations. Moreover, heterogeneous land use/cover types contributed significantly to edge formation. Different forest management strategies for different landscape conditions can be more effective for enhancing resilience of forests to fire. Reducing susceptible fuel types might be effective at low elevations, while enhancing forest heterogeneity might be more effective at high elevations.     

华南地区典型种植园地遥感分类研究

华南地区种植园地广泛分布,类型混杂多样,导致园地分布信息难以正确获取,为农业管理造成了较大困难。本研究基于Landsat8 OLI数据,通过数据融合、特征优化,应用随机森林算法构建面向对象的种植园地分类规则集,对华南地区典型经济作物香蕉、柑橘、葡萄、蒲葵、海枣、番木瓜和火龙果等进行类别识别,同时对比贝叶斯分类法、K最邻近分类法、支持向量机法、决策树分类法的分类效果。结果表明：数据融合会在一定程度上影响分类结果精度;植株形态、光谱特征接近,种植期交错是影响华南地区典型园地分类精度的重要原因;以中分辨率影像为数据源,面向对象的随机森林算法应用于种植园地分类研究总体精度可达88.05%,Kappa系数0.87,可以有效区分华南地区典型种植园地类别;相比于其他算法,随机森林算法在分类精度、可靠性和稳定性上具有一定优势,可为园地作物生长监测和种植管理提供科学依据。     

Composition,diversity and distribution of tree species in response to changing soil properties with increasing distance from water source – a case study of Gobind Sagar Reservoir in India

Construction of big dams on rivers develops artificial lakes or water reservoirs which conceive alterations in soil properties of the upstream catchment area. An undulating topography and freckly soil properties cause ups and downs in tree diversity, composition and distribution. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of Gobind Sagar reservoir on soil properties relative to the distance from it and assess its effect on tree diversity, evenness and their distribution in tropical and subtropical forests. Based on data analysis it was found that the soil moisture and organic carbon decreased along with increasing distance from the reservoir. It played a significant role in varying tree diversity. The sites distributed within0-2 km showed significantly higher α and β-diversity indices. Tree species richness and diversity indices showed a strong correlation(p 0.05) with soil moisture and organic carbon content. Simpson's and Mc Intosh evenness indices showed a strong negative correlation with soil bulk density. Indirect Detrended Correspondence Analysis(DCA) identified soil moisture and soil organic carbon as two major environmental gradients that influenced tree diversity and their distribution in five tropical and four subtropical forests in an upstream catchment of the reservoir. Mixed forests inhabited moist sites andAcacia-Pinus forests showed an inclination to dry areas. Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA)revealed that the tree species in tropical forests were mainly affected by driving forces such as soil moisture,organic carbon and bulk density whereas, in subtropical forest tree species were influenced by elevation, soil p H, EC and clay content.     

Distribution Patterns and Associations of Dominant Tree Species in a Mixed Coniferous-Broadleaf Forest in the Changbai Mountains

In 2012 a plot was established with 1-ha area in a mixed coniferous-broadleaf forest in the Changbai Mountains, northeastern China for examining local forest processes, structure and succession. A method of O-ring statistics(paircorrelation function) was applied to analyze the spatial patterns and associations of the dominant species within different vertical layers. After the evaluation by their importance values, six tree species(or group)(i.e. Abies nephrolepis, Picea jezoensis, Pinus koraiensis, Tilia amurensis, and species group of Betula ssp. and species group of Acer ssp.) were determined as dominant trees species. It was found that some of these species exhibited closely clustered distributions at fine distances. As spatial distance increased, a random or even regular distribution gradually appeared with the exception of the upper layers of A. nephrolepis and P. koraiensis, and the lower layers of P. jezoensis, P. koraiensis and Betula ssp., which were substantially randomly distributed. Intra- and inter-species spatial associations varied in accordance with species, tree height and reciprocal distances. Positive associations were observedbetween the lower and upper height classes of trees of the same species(except for that of P. jezoensis) at fine distances. This may be owing to limited seed dispersal and geological heterogeneity. The aggregation intensity declines with increasing distances and this consistent with the predictions of self-thinning. Some coniferous trees(e.g. Pinus koraiensis) in the lower height class were positively associated with T. amurensis and group of Betula ssp. of the upper height class at some distances, suggesting that saplings of coniferous trees occupy a broader niche and can grow well under the canopy of the adult of broad-leaved trees. Negative associations were observed between upper coniferous trees and lower broad-leaved trees and between upper P. jezoensis and lower P. koraiensis, suggesting that a canopy of these trees might not provide suitable environment for the survival, establishment, and growth of lower individuals, corresponding well to Janzen-Connell hypothesis.     

Spatial-temporal variability of throughfall in a subtropical deciduous forest from the hilly regions of eastern China

Throughfall variability plays a crucial role in regulating hydrological and biogeochemical processes in forest ecosystems. However, throughfall variability and its potential influencing factors remain unclear in the subtropical deciduous forest because of its complex canopy and meteorological conditions. Here, the spatial variability and temporal stability of throughfall were investigated from October 2016 to December 2017 within a deciduous forest in the subtropical hilly regions of eastern China, and the effects of meteorological variables and distance from nearest tree trunk on throughfall variability were systematically evaluated. Throughfall variability during the leafed period was slightly higher than that during the leafless period inferred from the coefficient of variation of throughfall amounts(CVTF), with 13.2%-40.9% and 18.7%-31.9%, respectively. The multiple regression model analysis suggested that the controlling factors of throughfall variability were different in studied periods: Maximum 10-min rainfall intensity, wind speed and air temperature were the dominant influencing factors on throughfall variability during the leafed period, with the relative contribution ratio(RCR) of 25.9%, 18.7% and 8.9%, respectively. By contrast, throughfall variability was affected mainly by the mean rainfall intensity(RCR=40.8%) during the leafless period. The temporal stability plots and geostatistical analysis indicated that spatial patterns of throughfall were stable and similar among rainfall events. Our findings highlight the important role of various meteorological factors in throughfall variability and are expected to contribute to the accurate assessment of throughfall, soil water and runoff within the subtropical forests.