A survey was conducted from March 2020 through March 2022 to analyze the characteristics of plant life forms and growth forms with the south coast (low latitude), the east coast (middle latitude), the west coast (high latitude), the west/south coast (...
A survey was conducted from March 2020 through March 2022 to analyze the characteristics of plant life forms and growth forms with the south coast (low latitude), the east coast (middle latitude), the west coast (high latitude), the west/south coast (islands in Sinan-gun) and south of the west coast (Wido Island) of Korea.
The results of an analysis, referring to the climate, topography, vegetation, and soil environment by dividing into six habitats into forest, river and wetland, tidal mudflat, dune, rocky, and arable land and village area, considering various environments on each island to interpret the ecological adaptability of plants on islands using life forms, are as follows.
An analysis of the life forms according to climatic factors showed that there were no big differences among the south sea, west sea, and east sea (Ulleungdo Island and Dokdo Island).
However, as for the life forms by topographic factors and vegetation type, they were doing ecological adaptation at each habitat with different life forms. Moreover, topography, vegetation type, and soil humidity greatly affected the plant life forms distributed in each island area as well.
As for the dormancy forms of all the islands surveyed, the distribution ratio of hemicryptophytes (H) was the highest, followed by geophyte (G), therophytes (Th), and therophytes (Th(w)). However, the distribution ratios of hydatophytes (HH), therophytic aquatic plant (HH(Th)), and chamaephytes (Ch) was low.
This is a result in which the physical environments of the island, including soil, wind, and topography are reflected, and the ratio of hydatophytes is low probably because the size of wetland related to water is small by the characteristics of the island.
As for the radicoid form of vascular plants, non-clonal growth (monophyte), R5, was the highest on nine islands surveyed, and the ratio of R4 was low. R5 was high on land. It seems that this is because the most advantageous type for plant growth is the monophyte type.
However, considering R4 radicoid form to be a form with the condition favorable for growth in sand and gravel soil in the middle and upstream of the river, this is because the area scale of the islands surveyed is small, and the river develops poorly by the characteristics of the island.
As for the disseminule form, the form having no special modification for dissemination takes up about 50%, so a lot of plants chose the form having no special modification for dissemination to be evolved, favorable for the inhabitation and survival on the island.
As for the growth form, the erect form was distributed at the highest percentage; however, it was relatively lower on Dokdo Island. This is affected by the strong wind because of the rocky topographic condition and long distance from land. Especially, the distribution of branched form (b) was 17.54%, about three times higher rate than other islands because of the strong wind and thin soil depth by topographic characteristics.
As for the growth forms on Dokdo Island and Ulleungdo Island on the east coast, Hansando Island and Bogildo Island on the south coast, islands in Sinan-gun on the southwest coast, and Wido Island, Jawoldo Island, and Daecheongdo Island on the west coast, overall, the ratios of growth forms show a tendency similar to those of land; however, as various physical conditions, such as island climate, soil, topography, salinity concentration, and wind/soil depth were reflected, the distribution ratios of erect form and rosette form were lower than on land, and those of branched form, tussock form, and procumbent form were high.
A survey, subdividing six habitats on each island, showed similar tendencies in rocky and dune habitats.
Tidal mudflat habitats were almost the same as tidal mudflat habitats on land and island habitats. This is because in the tidal mudflat habitat environment, salinity acted primarily on plant growth.
Plant growth forms are related to the habitat environments to some extent because the behaviors or habits of stems and branches have abundant plasticity as a criterion for growth form and mutate in response to the environment of location. This is because it more sensitively reflected micro-environmental differences than Raunkiaer’s dormancy form (Nakanishi et al., 1983).
As for the dormancy form according to the latitude, in five habitats, except for the tidal mudflat on islands in the south coast belonging to low latitude (Bogildo Island, etc.), chamaephytes (Ch) showed low distribution ratios. In Daecheongdo Island at the highest latitude, it was distributed only on dune, rocky, arable land and village area. Ulleungdo Island at the middle latitude on the east coast showed a tendency similar to Daecheongdo Island as well.
Epiphyten (E) was distributed in rocky or forest area at all low latitude, middle latitude, and high latitude.
Geophyte (G) was not distributed in tidal mudflat on islands at low latitude and middle latitude, and it showed the lowest distribution ratio of six habitats in Daecheongdo Island. The habitat with limited distribution of geophyte is tidal mudflat, and it seems that this is associated with soil properties.
Hemicryptophytes (H) showed very similar distribution ratios in all island areas at low latitude, middle latitude, and high latitude. The distribution area of hemicryptophytes was very wide, and the adaptability was very high in different environments.
Hydatophytes (HH) were not distributed in forest area on low latitude islands, in tidal mudflat and dune areas on middle latitude islands, and in habitats in dune and rocky areas on high latitude islands. This was not related to the difference in the latitude of the island but related to the topographic characteristics of the island surveyed and the size of the island.
Phanerophyte (M) had the highest distribution ratio in forest habitats on all islands. It was not distributed in tidal mudflat habitats, while the distribution ratio was low in dune and rocky habitats. This phenomenon showed a similar tendency also in megaphanerophytes (MM). However, nanophanerophytes (N) had a high distribution ratio in dune and rocky habitats on islands at low latitude and high latitude, and the distribution ratio was lower, or it was not distributed on Ulleungdo Island. This phenomenon might result from the slight formation of dune habitats due to the topographic phenomena on Ulleungdo Island.
The distribution ratio of therophytes (winter annual) (Th) were high in tidal mudflat, arable land and village, and dune area in all island areas, and this was related to physical environmental factors in tidal mudflat and dune area habitat, and disturbance, to arable land and village. In forest area habitats, the distribution ratio of therophytes was low.
Like this, in relation to climates in the southernmost region on the latitude in Korea like Bogildo Island, etc. (low latitude), Ulleungdo Island, etc. (middle latitude), and Daecheongdo Island, etc. (high latitude), as for the distribution ratio by dormant bud habitat, the environmental factor of latitude acted as a limiting factor for the distribution of chamaephytes, and geophyte was evenly distributed in all areas regardless of the latitude.
As for radicoid form by latitude, R1,2, R3, R4, and R5 appeared on all islands. R1,2 showed a high distribution ratio in tidal mudflat and dune area at low latitude, middle latitude, and high latitude and a low ratio in forest, arable land and village area. This phenomenon is because R1,2 has both R1 and R2, which acts favorably for growth in these habitats.
The form disseminated widely by wind or water (D1), a disseminule form by latitude, was high in forest, rocky, river and wetland area on low latitude islands and low in tidal mudflat and dune area. On middle latitude island, the distribution ratio was high in rocky area and low in tidal mudflat area. On high latitude islands, the ratio was high in rocky, river and wetland area and low in tidal mudflat and dune area.
The form disseminated attaching with or eaten by animals and man (D2) had a high distribution ratio in forest habitats on all islands and a low distribution ratio in dune area on middle latitude and low latitude islands. This is because animal habitats are distributed more in forest area than in dune area, since the form disseminated attaching with or eaten by animals and man is greatly affected by animals,
The distribution ratio of the form disseminated by mechanical propulsion of dehiscence of fruits (D3) was high in arable land and village area at low latitude and high latitude and low in forest area on all islands.
The distribution ratio of the form having no special modification for dissemination (D4) was the highest in habitats on all islands.
Of the growth forms by latitude, the distribution ratio of branched form (b) was the highest in tidal mudflat area at low latitude and middle latitude and low in forest area on all islands.
The erect form (e) was distributed high in forest area on all islands and low in tidal mudflat and dune area.
On Bogildo Island, etc. (low latitude) and Daecheongdo Island, etc. (high latitude), by habitat, the ratio of the highest distribution of partial rosette form (pr) was the same in tidal mudflat area; rosette erect form (ps), in river and wetland area; rosette form (r), in tidal mudflat area; and tussock form (t), in dune area, and that of the forms except for rosette form (r) was the same on Ulleungdo Islands (middle latitude). Rosette form (r) on the middle latitude was distributed the highest in rocky area.
In conclusion, the extent of disturbance, the size of the island, and topographic characteristic acted greatly on the plant life forms and growth forms in the island regions of Korea, and the characteristics of the regional plant geography were not greatly reflected on the south coast, the west coast, and the east coast.