Spatial distribution patterns and associations of tree species during different succession stages in sprucefir forests of Changbai Mountains, northeastern China

Sprucefir and broadleaved mixed forests, sprucefir mixed forests and near primitive sprucefir forests are representative of the forest communities in Changbai Mountains of northeastern China. Based on investigation data from each plot of the above three typical sprucefir forests, one point pattern analysis method—Oring statistics was used to analyze the spatial patterns of dominant species and the spatial correlations among different species were studied. The results showed that the random distribution appeared widely in the three communities, the aggregated distribution decreased, while the random and regular distributions increased in all major species. The phenomenon of negative correlations increased between Pinus koraiensis and P. koraiensis, P. koraiensis and Abies nephrolepis, A. nephrolepis and P. koraiensis from the sprucefir and broadleaved mixed forests to the sprucefir mixed forests and near primitive sprucefir forests. Tilia amurensis was clumped significantly at small scales and a random distribution showed at other scales, the regularity of distribution was not obvious in other species.