Stability Dynamics of Representative Forest Plant Communities in Northeast China

To evaluate the stability dynamics of typical forest plant communities in Northeast China, 57 forest plots were surveyed in 2009 and surveyed again in 2014. By adapting temporary stability (TS) as the community stability indicator, all plots were divided into three groups of low, moderate, and high stability, and the community initial state and state changes in different groups were analyzed. Results showed that the first dominant species in 15.8% (3/19) of plots was replaced by the second dominant species from 2009 to 2014 in the low stability group, but no such changes occurred in the moderate and high stability groups. The TS change amplitude was obvious in the low stability group, while that was slight in the high stability group. The relative basal area of the top two species was close in the low stability group in both 2009 and 2014, while the first dominant species was prominent in the high stability group. Communities in the high stability group had lower tree diversity, and those in the low stability group had more trees in 2009. Furthermore, tree size increased significantly in the low and moderate stability groups, and tree number decreased significantly in the moderate stability group from 2009 to 2014. The TS indicator is feasible in describing the stability state and change processes of forest plant communities on a time scale.