Community Structure and Soil Properties of Chinese Cork Oak ( Quercus variabilis ) Forests in Limestone Area

石灰岩 地域 굴참나무群集의 構造와 土壤의 物理, 化學的 性質

Floristic cmposition and soil properties were analyzed in chines cork oak(quercus variabilis)cmmunities in the limestone area, tanyang, ch'ungbuk province in korea. The tree layer was composed of quercus dentata, platycarya strobilacea, fraxinus rhynchophylla and others as wel as quercus variabilis. the shrub layer was dominated by ulmus davidiana for. suberosa,shrubby q. variabilis. euonymus alatus and rhus chinensis. among these, u. davidiana for. suberosa was known to have a restricted distribution to calcareous area, and 9 species in the shrub layer including e. alatus, indigofera kirilowii and rhamnus davurica belonged to the calcicole. The herb layer was dominated by carex lanceolata and spodiopogen cotulifer. ten specirs including g. lanceolata, clematis mandshurica, isachne globosa, lithospermum arvense and scabiosa mansenensis belonged to the calcicode. soil texture was classified to clay loam in both top and subsoil. Water cotent and organic matter were consistentl higher in top soil than in subsoil. soil ph rangd 7.8~8.4. Total n concentration in top soil ranged from 0.2 to 0.4mg/g, which was higher than that in subsoil. Available p and exchangeable k concentretion were also significantly higher in op soil than in subsoil. However, exchangeable ca concentration was similar betweenthe top and the subsoil. Unlike the other nutrients, exchangeable mg concentration in top soil was lower than that in subsoil. orangic matter, n, p and k content in this chinese cork oak stand showed as much as the other noncalcareous sites. Soil properties in this study area seemed to have been influenced by casts forming activities of earthworms.