What is the k value of rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna?

Zhu et al. (2019) estimated the k values in rubber plantations and forests in Xishuangbanna and found that the mean k value in the rubber plantations was 3.1, which was on an average 41.7% lower than that obtained in the forest (5.3).

Are rubber plantations destroying native forests?

However, the growth of rubber plantations has resulted in a continuous decline of the native forests. For instance, the current rubber plantation area in southwestern China (Xishuangbanna) is 22.1%, while its primary forests merely cover 3.6% of the total area (Li et al., 2008; Zomer et al., 2014).

Are rubber trees native to South America?

Status of rubber plantation As an indigenous species of South America, the rubber trees were traditionally cultivated in the equatorial zone between 10°N and 10°S during the 19th century (Yang et al., 2017), and Brazil was the main source of rubber for the world market.

Do rubber plantations affect agrobiodiversity?

In addition to their direct effect on plant diversity, rubber plantations indirectly affect the agrobiodiversity of the cultivated region, as a lower number of total and utilized plant species was found on households that had rubber plantations than in those that had rice or fallow fields (Fu et al., 2009).

Do rubber plantations have a lower biomass than forests?

The abundance of nitrogen-fixing species was specifically lower in rubber plantations than in forests. A phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) study in Xishuangbanna found that rubber plantations had lower biomass of microbial communities (i.e., actinomycete, arbuscular mycorrhiza, fungi, bacteria, and protozoa) than forests (Monkai et al., 2018).

Does PLFA biomass differ between rubber plantations and forests?

However, a study performed in Hainan obtained slightly different results (Wang et al., 2017); rubber plantations showed lower values of total and bacterial PLFA biomass than forests, while fungal PLFA biomass did not differ between rubber plantations and forests nor among rubber plantations of different ages.