Ecological occurrence of the endangered Japanese red maple, Acer pycnanthum: base line for ecosystem conservation

Ikuyo Saeki1
1Laboratory of Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan

Tóm tắt

Japanese red maple, Acer pycnanthum K. Koch, is an endangered maple species with a very restricted natural range in the wetlands of central Honshu, Japan. In spite of its endangered status, systematic conservation action is lacking. My objective was to develop a comprehensive database and ecological description of ecosystems supporting the species to stimulate its conservation. I employed literature searches, interviews with local residents, and aerial and ground survey to determine their locations. Also, ecological characteristics and conservation status for each site were analyzed. Fifty-two main sites were identified in four prefectures. More than half of the sites were either unknown or not widely known. Aerial survey was most important in locating new and large populations. Ecosystems dominated by Japanese red maple are concentrated in the elevational range from 300 m to 600 m along three major river valleys where natural forests have been markedly altered. The populations are highly diverse in their ecological setting, geographic location, dbh distribution, and management history. The total number of clones recorded, 1,603, is over three times that of the last estimate. However, the size of wetland ecosystems supporting Japanese red maple is very small, usually ≤0.5 ha. Seedling regeneration is limited to open wetlands where human disturbances associated with agriculture prevail. Sixteen sites have been designated natural monuments where management focuses on Japanese red maple and typically simplifies the ecosystem composition and structure. Alternatively, an ecosystem approach, conserving entire wetland ecosystems, should be emphasized, and the base-line data obtained in this study will encourage various new conservation initiatives.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Barnes BV (1993) The landscape ecosystem approach and conservation of endangered spaces. Endangered Species Update 10:13–19

Barnes BV, Zak DR, Denton SR, Spurr SH (1998) Forest ecology. Wiley, New York

Barnes BV, Saeki I, Kitazawa A (2004) Occurrence and landscape ecology of a rare disjunct maple species, Acer pycnanthum, and comparison with Acer rubrum. Environ Rev 12:163–196

Bailey RG (1996) Ecosystem geography. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

Christensen NL, Bartuska AM, Brown JH, Carpenter S, D’Antonio C, Francis R, Franklin JF, MacMahon JA, Noss RF, Parsons DJ, Peterson CH, Turner MG, Woodmansee RG (1996) The report of the Ecological Society of America Committee on the scientific basis for ecosystem management. Ecol Appl 6:665–691

Environment Agency of Japan (2000) Threatened wildlife of Japan, red data book, 2nd edn., vol 8, vascular plants (in Japanese). Japan Wildlife Research Center, Tokyo

Franklin JF (1993) Preserving biodiversity: species, ecosystems, or landscapes? Ecol Appl 3:202–205

Franklin JF, Spies TA, Van Pelt R, Carey AB, Thornburgh DA, Rae Berg D, Lindenmayer DB, Harmon ME, Keeton WS, Shaw DC, Bible K, Chen J (2002) Disturbances and structural development of natural forest ecosystems with silvicultural implications, using Douglas-fir forests as an example. For Ecol Manage 155:399–423

Fujii S (2002) Achievements and problems of regional red data books. In: Yahara T, Kawakubo N, The Society for the Study of Species Biology (eds) Biology of conservation and restoration (in Japanese). Bun-ichi Sogo, Tokyo, pp 95–107

Gleason HA, Cronquist A (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, 2nd edn. New York Botanical Gardens, Bronx, New York

Goto T (2002) Oone bog and regeneration of Japanese red maple. In: Hiroki S (ed) Ecology of Satoyama (suburban forest in Japan) (in Japanese). Nagoya University Press, Nagoya, pp 97–103

Hanai M, Katsura Y, Honma A (eds) (2003) Natural monuments of Japan (in Japanese). Kodansha, Tokyo

Hirabayashi K, Takahashi H (1969) Ecological studies on Acer pycnanthum: flora and vegetation in the spontaneous places (in Japanese). Bull Bot Soc Nagano 2:1–16

Hiroki S (2002) Development of ecological studies and the ecology of Satoyama (suburban forests in Japan). In: Hiroki S (ed) Ecology of Satoyama (suburban forest in Japan) (in Japanese). Nagoya University Press, Nagoya, pp 1–7

Iida S, Nakashizuka T (1995) Forest fragmentation and its effect on species diversity in suburban coppice forests in Japan. For Ecol Manag 73:197–210

Inoue K (1996) Reproductive biology of Acer pycnanthum (Aceraceae). Bull Bot Soc Nagano 29:29–32

Japan association for star magnolia conservation (1996) Wild stand of shidekobushi (star magnolia) in Japan (in Japanese). Japan association for star magnolia conservation, Gifu

Japanese red maple conservation group (2003) Report of the Japanese red maple conservation group activities in Nagano Prefecture, 1991–2002 (in Japanese). Japanese red maple conservation group, Iida

Kobayashi T, Saito A, Hori Y (1999) Species diversity of the understory dominated by dwarf-bamboo Pleioblastus chino Makino in a secondary forest with different numbers of years after the last mowing. J Jpn Soc Reveget Tech 24:201–207

Koidzumi G (1912) On Acer pycnanthum K. Koch (in Japanese). Bot Mag 26:263–264

Kurata S (1973) Illustrated important forest trees of Japan, vol 4. Japan Forest Technical Association (ed), Chikyusha, Tokyo

Makinouchi T (2001) Stratigraphy of the Tokai Group and evolutional process of the Lake Tokai sedimentary basin (in Japanese with English summary). Sci Rep Toyohashi Mus Nat Hist 11:33–39

Ministry of the Environment in Japan (2004) Red data book species information. Ministry of the Environment in Japan. Available via http://www.biodic.go.jp/rdb/rdb_f.html. Cited 5 July, 2004

Miyoshi M (1925) Plants in the three prefectures Gifu, Shiga, and Mie (in Japanese). In: Department of the Interior, natural monuments investigation report (in Japanese). Tokyo, pp 53–54

Miyoshi M (1926) Explanation of natural monuments (in Japanese). Toyamabo, Tokyo

Nakura G (1915) Japanese red maple. Aichi For Rep 12, Appendix, Plants in Aichi 2:10–15

Nomura K (ed) (1914) Japanese red maple and its origin (in Japanese). Hananokikai, Shiga

Ogata K (1965a) A dendrological study on the Japanese Aceraceae, with special reference to the geographical distribution. Bull Tokyo Univ For 60:1–99

Ogata K (1965b) On Acer pycnanthum K. Koch (in Japanese with English summary). J Geobot 13:102–109

Okada I (1999) Restoration and management of coppices in Japan. Ecol Restor 17(1&2):31–38

Ozaki K (1991) Late Miocene floras from the Seto group in Aichi and Gifu Prefectures. In: Bull Kanagawa Prefectural Museum, Natural Science, special issue: Late Miocene and Pliocene floras in central Honshu, Japan. Kanagawa Prefectural Museum, Yokohama, pp 83–100

Rowe JS (1961) The level-of-integration concept and ecology. Ecology 42:420–427

Rowe JS (1989) The importance of conserving systems. In: Hummel M (ed) Endangered spaces: the future for Canada’s wilderness. Key Porter Books, Toronto, pp 228–235

Rowe JS (1992) The ecosystem approach to forestland management. For Chron 68:222–224

Rowe JS (2002) Home place, essays on ecology. NeWest, Edmonton

Rowe JS, Barnes BV (1994) Geo-ecosystems and bio-ecosystems. Ecol Soc Am Bull 75:40–41

Shiga Prefectural Government (2004) Scenery of Shiga, Japanese red maple (in Japanese). Available via http://www.pref.shiga.jp/minwa/39/39-06.html. Cited 23 June, 2004

Shimizu T (1989) Aceraceae. In: Satake Y, Hara H, Watari S, Tominari T (eds) Wild flowers of Japan, woody plants II (in Japanese). Heibonsha, Tokyo, pp 7–18

Shimizu T, Uchida T (1993) Hybridization between North American Acer rubrum L., and Japanese A. pycnanthum K. Koch (Aceraceae). J Phytogeogr Taxon 41:63–69

Tanai T (1983) Revisions of tertiary Acer from East Asia. J Fac Sci, Hokkaido Univ, Ser IV 20:291–390

Tanai T (2001) Evolution of genus Acer. In: Kawano S (ed) World of plants, woody plants (in Japanese). Newton, Tokyo, pp 136–143

Ueda K (1989) Phytogeography of Tokai hilly land element I. Definition (in Japanese with English summary). Acta Phytotaxonom Geobot 40:190–202

Ueda K (1993) Low wetlands and plants growing in them. In: Ishii M, Ueda K, Shigematsu T (eds) Conserving nature in Satoyama (suburban forests in Japan) (in Japanese). Tsukiji-Shokan, Tokyo, pp 69–102

Ueda K (1994) The origin and evolution of the Tokai hilly land element. In: Okada H, Ueda K, Kadono Y (eds) Natural history of plants: evolutionary studies of diversity (in Japanese). Hokkaido University Press, Sapporo, pp 3–18

US Fish and Wildlife Service (2004) Threatened and endangered species system (TESS). Available via http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/TeSSSpeciesReport. Cited 6 Sept, 2004

van Gelderen DM, de Jong PC, Oterdoom HJ (1994) Maples of the world. Timber, Portland, OR

Walther H (1972) Studien über tertiäre Acer Mitteleuropas. Abh des Staatl Museums für Mineral und Geol zu Dres 19:1–309

Wolfe JA, Tanai T (1987) Systematics, phylogeny, and distribution of Acer (maples) in the Cenozoic of western North America. J Fac Sci, Hokkaido Univ, Ser IV 22:1–246

Walters RS, Yawney HW (1990) Acer rubrum L. Red maple. In: Burns RM, Honkala BH (eds) Silvics of North America, vol 2, hardwoods. USDA, Forest service of agriculture handbook 654, Washington, D.C., pp 60–69

Yokouchi I (1962) Distribution of Japanese red maple in the Shinano district (in Japanese). Nagano-rinyuu Nov–Dec:22–24