Far Eastern Federal University Federal Scientific center of the East Asia terrestrial biodiversity Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, 690022, Russia
I analyzed a current state of Yezo spruce population in the Korean-pine-broadleaved forest of the Southern Sikhote-Alin Mountains. Decrease of a recruitment and low vitality of the immature and virgin plants suggest the instability of population. Despite a high stress-tolerance of the species, only 8% of virgin trees reach the matter stage. Part of those trees dye off in the middle generative age. All these facts prove that the degradation of the Yezo spruce population is going on.
We suppose that the Yezo spruce population degradation has complex reasons which are related to the biology of species and triggered by climatic factors.
Trees of Yezo spruce in the Korean-pine-broadleaved forests are characterized by complex, ecological conditions dependent CSR strategy that maintains the stable demography of population. Other limitations for spruce population include such long term climatic changes as decreasing precipitation and increasing frequency of droughts, and also human-induced acidification of precipitation.