Evaluation of sampling methods for the estimation of structural indices in forest stands

The paper is about the accurate (i.e. unbiased and precise) and efficient estimation of structural indices in forest stands. We present SIAFOR, a computer programme for the calculation of four nearest-neighbour indices, which describe the spatial arrangement of tree positions, the distribution pattern of species, and the size differentiation between trees. The study uses SIAFOR as a sampling simulator in eight completely stem-mapped forest stands of varying area and structural complexity. We statistically evaluate two sample types (distance and plot sampling), comparing sampling error, bias and minimum sample size for index estimation. We introduce the concepts of measurement expansion factor (MEF) and design expansion factor (DEF) for the technical evaluation of sample type efficiency (optimal sample type). Results indicate that sampling error can reach high levels and that minimum sample sizes for index estimation often amply exceed the limit of 20% of tree density or 20 trees per species per hectare, that we set as the highest feasible sample size in normal situations. We found clear feasibility limits (in terms of minimal tree densities and reachable accuracy levels) for the estimation of all investigated indices. Generally, equal or higher sample sizes are needed for plot sampling than for distance sampling to reach equal accuracy levels. Nevertheless, plot sampling resulted more efficient for the estimation of tree size differentiation at low to medium accuracy levels. For all other investigated indices distance sampling resulted more efficient than plot sampling. Minimum sample size increases with accuracy and is negatively correlated with tree density. At a given accuracy level minimum sample size is highest for the estimation of relative mingling and lowest for tree size differentiation; furthermore it is generally lower in large stands than in small ones. Because of the consistency of our conclusions in all of the investigated stands, we think they apply in most stands of similar area (between 1 and 10 ha) and species diversity (not more than four species).     

A novel statistical method for classifying habitat generalists and specialists

We develop a novel statistical approach for classifying generalists and specialists in two distinct habitats. Using a multinomial model based on estimated species relative abundance in two habitats, our method minimizes bias due to differences in sampling intensities between two habitat types as well as bias due to insufficient sampling within each habitat. The method permits a robust statistical classification of habitat specialists and generalists, without excluding rare species a priori. Based on a user-defined specialization threshold, the model classifies species into one of four groups: (1) generalist; (2) habitat A specialist; (3) habitat B specialist; and (4) too rare to classify with confidence. We illustrate our multinomial classification method using two contrasting data sets: (1) bird abundance in woodland and heath habitats in southeastern Australia and (2) tree abundance in second-growth (SG) and old-growth (OG) rain forests in the Caribbean lowlands of northeastern Costa Rica. We evaluate the multinomial model in detail for the tree data set. Our results for birds were highly concordant with a previous nonstatistical classification, but our method classified a higher fraction (57.7%) of bird species with statistical confidence. Based on a conservative specialization threshold and adjustment for multiple comparisons, 64.4% of tree species in the full sample were too rare to classify with confidence. Among the species classified, OG specialists constituted the largest class (40.6%), followed by generalist tree species (36.7%) and SG specialists (22.7%). The multinomial model was more sensitive than indicator value analysis or abundance-based phi coefficient indices in detecting habitat specialists and also detects generalists statistically. Classification of specialists and generalists based on rarefied subsamples was highly consistent with classification based on the full sample, even for sampling percentages as low as 20%. Major advantages of the new method are (1) its ability to distinguish habitat generalists (species with no significant habitat affinity) from species that are simply too rare to classify and (2) applicability to a single representative sample or a single pooled set of representative samples from each of two habitat types. The method as currently developed can be applied to no more than two habitats at a time.     

The role of echinoderms as bioindicators of seawater pollution: A case study from patraicos and corinthiacos Gulf,N. Peloponnesus,Greece

To determine the role of echinoderms as bioindicators of seawater pollution we collected sea‐water and urchin samples from two sites in N. Peloponnesus, Greece. One site was in Patraicos gulf (Patras) and was influenced by point source pollution (urban sewage outfalls) while the second was in Korinthiacos gulf (Akoli) with no evident habitat pollution.

Three heavy metals (copper, nickel and zinc) have been measured in the gonads of two edible species of echinoderms, Arbacia lixula and Paracentrotus lividus.

Statistical treatment of the results showed statistically significant differences in bioaccu‐mulation related to the dry‐weight of gonads, to species, to sex of echinoderms, to season of sampling and to sampling station.

The concentrations of zinc were higher than those of Ni and Cu at in both sampling sites.

Microbiological analysis showed that contamination of the urchins was correlated to that of the surrounding seawater.

Finally both sampling sites seems to be influenced, directly or indirectly, by heavy metal and bacterial habitat pollution.     

Detecting Rare Species with Random or Subjective Sampling: a Case Study of Red-Listed Saproxylic Beetles in Boreal Sweden

Abstract:  Efficient sampling design in field studies is important for economical and statistical reasons. We compared two ways to distribute sampling effort over an area, either randomly or subjectively. We searched for red-listed saproxylic (wood-living) beetles in 30 spruce stands in boreal Sweden by sifting wood from dead trees. We randomly selected positions within each stand with a geographic positioning system and sampled the nearest dead tree (random sample). In the same stand we also sampled dead trees that, based on literature, were likely to host such species (subjective sampling). The subjective sampling (two to five samples per stand, depending on stand size) was compared with the higher, random sampling effort (fixed level of 12 samples/stand). Subjective sampling was significantly more efficient. Red-listed species were found in 36% of the subjective samples and in 16% of the random samples. Nevertheless, the larger random effort resulted in a comparable number of red-listed species per stand and in 13 detected species in total (vs. 12 species with subjective sampling). Random sampling was less efficient, but provided an unbiased alternative more suitable for statistical purposes, as needed in, for example, monitoring programs. Moreover, new species-specific knowledge can be gained through random searches.     

Differential tree and shrub production in response to fertilization and disturbance by coastal river otters in Alaska

We explored the interacting effects of marine-derived nutrient fertilization and physical disturbance introduced by coastal river otters (Lontra canadensis) on the production and nutrient status of pristine shrub and tree communities in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. We compared production of trees and shrubs between latrines and non-latrines, while accounting for otter site selection, by sampling areas on and off sites. Nitrogen stable isotope analysis (delta15N) indicated that dominant tree and shrub species assimilated the marine-derived N excreted by otters. In association with this uptake, tree production increased, but shrub density and nonwoody aboveground shrub production decreased. The reduced shrub production was caused by destruction of ramets, especially blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), through physical disturbance by river otters. False azalea (Menziesia ferruginea) ramets were less sensitive to otter disturbance. Although surviving individual blueberry ramets showed a tendency for increased production per plant, false azalea allocated excess N to storage in leaves rather than growth. We found that plant responses to animal activity vary among species and levels of biological organization (leaf, plant, ecosystem). Such differences should be accounted for when assessing the influence of river otters on the carbon budget of Alaskan coastal forests at the landscape scale.     

不同大气污染区林木根区土壤重金属和酶活性研究

黄埔区是广州市污染较严重的地区,其中林木也受到了大气等污染物的危害。林木根区的土壤重金属和酶活性是探讨污染对林木影响机制和反映污染程度的重要指标。作者分别在该区的石化厂、硫酸厂附近林地和非污染的华南农业大学校园(对照)共3个区选择了台湾相思、马尾松、尾叶桉和荔枝4个树种、11个采样点,共采集了33个供试土壤样品,分析了林木根区土壤重金属(Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd)全量、有效量和土壤酶(脲酶、过氧化氢酶、酸性磷酸酶和蛋白酶)活性。结果表明,(1)石化厂重金属含量总体上与对照区差异不大,而硫酸厂区重金属含量则显著地高于对照区,污染严重。(2)不同调查区根区土壤酶活性存在显著差异,各调查区平均土壤酶活性大小顺序基本上表现为:对照区>石化厂区>硫酸厂区,尤其是硫酸厂区显著地低于对照区;而同一调查区不同树种之间的酶活性也存在差异,台湾相思根区土壤脲酶的活性均比其它树种高;从酶活性看,在硫酸厂严重污染胁迫下,台湾相思比尾叶桉更耐污染。(3)对土壤重金属含量和酶活性进行典型相关分析得出:根区土壤有效Zn含量对过氧化氢酶和酸性磷酸酶活性有明显的刺激作用,但抑制了蛋白酶活性;有效Cd则抑制了过氧化氢酶和酸性磷酸酶活性,但刺激了蛋白酶活性。     

Evidence of dispersal limitation in soil microorganisms: isolation reduces species richness on mycorrhizal tree islands

Dispersal limitation plays an important role in a number of equilibrium and nonequilibrium theories about community ecology. In this study we use the framework of island biogeography to look for evidence of dispersal limitation in ectomycorrhizal fungal assemblages on "tree islands," patches of host trees located in a non-host vegetation matrix. Because of the potentially strong effects of island area on species richness and immigration, we chose to control island size by sampling tree islands consisting of a single host individual. Richness on tree islands was high, with estimates ranging up to 42 species of ectomycorrhizal fungi associating with a single host individual. Species richness decreased significantly with increasing isolation of tree islands, with our regression predicting a 50% decrease in species richness when tree islands are located distances of approximately 1 km from large patches of contiguous forests. Despite the fact that fungal fruit bodies produce large numbers of spores with high potential for long-distance travel, these results suggest that dispersal limitation is significant in ectomycorrhizal assemblages. There were no discernible effects of isolation or environment on the species identity of tree island fungal colonists. In contrast to the highly predictable patterns of tree island colonization we observed in a previous study on early successional forests, we suggest that over longer time periods the community assembly process becomes more dominated by stochastic immigration and local extinction events.     

西双版纳补蚌地区望天树林近20 a来物种多样性变化研究

通过对1988年和2006年西双版纳补蚌地区望天树林样方资料的比较研究,探讨了望天树林群落近20a来在物种多样性方面的变化.研究结果表明,在2006年的样方中,望天树仍然具有最大的优势度,该群落仍然是以望天树为优势种的单优群落.在群落自身演替以及外界环境干扰的影响下,幼树、灌木和藤本植物种类和数量明显增加,而草本植物和附生植物减少.分析乔木层的物种多样性变化发现,尽管2006年样方在植物种类和数量上都要高于1988年样方,但辛普森指数和均匀度指数并未增加,很可能是样方中形成了林窗的结果.另外,乔木层中物种优势度变化非常明显,少数优势种衰退了,少数变得更优势.1988年的两个样方中分别有50%和40%的物种被后来的物种所取代,物种替换现象特别显著,外界环境的干扰可能是导致物种成分替换的主要原因.图2表1参23     

The sea-skater Halobates micans: an open ocean bioindicator for cadmium distribution in Atlantic surface waters

Our knowledge of the horizontal distribution of heavy metals in the open ocean with time and space is still very incomplete. Complementary to chemical water analyses suitable biological indicator species may be used to fill this gap. The pleuston organism Halobates micans was collected from 1966 to 1987 at 151 sampling stations of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean. The cadmium data from more than 1000 individuals analysed display a chemicaloceanographic meaningful distribution in surface waters and compare favourably to primary production values. Chemical analysis of individual plankton species offer a new tool for a better understanding of geochemical cycling of heavy metals in the ocean.     

An incidence-based richness estimator for quadrats sampled without replacement

Most richness estimators currently in use are derived from models that consider sampling with replacement or from the assumption of infinite populations. Neither of the assumptions is suitable for sampling sessile organisms such as plants where quadrats are often sampled without replacement and the area of study is always limited. In this paper, we propose an incidence-based parametric richness estimator that considers quadrat sampling without replacement in a fixed area. The estimator is derived from a zero-truncated binomial distribution for the number of quadrats containing a given species (e.g., species i) and a modified beta distribution for the probability of presence-absence of a species in a quadrat. The maximum likelihood estimate of richness is explicitly given and can be easily solved. The variance of the estimate is also obtained. The performance of the estimator is tested against nine other existing incidence-based estimators using two tree data sets where the true numbers of species are known. Results show that the new estimator is insensitive to sample size and outperforms the other methods as judged by the root mean squared errors. The superiority of the new method is particularly noticeable when large quadrat size is used, suggesting that a few large quadrats are preferred over many small ones when sampling diversity.     

Tree species diversity and its relationship to stand parameters and geomorphology features in the eastern Black Sea region forests of Turkey

We studied the effects of stand parameters (crown closure, basal area, stand volume, age, mean stand diameter number of trees, and heterogeneity index) and geomorphology features (elevation, aspect and slope) on tree species diversity in an example of untreated natural mixed forest stands in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Tree species diversity and basal area heterogeneity in forest ecosystems are quantified using the Shannon-Weaver and Simpson indices. The relationship between tree species diversity basal area heterogeneity stand parameters and geomorphology features are examined using regression analysis. Our work revealed that the relationship between tree species diversity and stand parameters is loose with a correlation coefficient between 0.02 and 0.70. The correlation of basal area heterogeneity with stand parameters fluctuated between 0.004 and 0.77 (R2). According to our results, stands with higher tree species diversity are characterised by higher mean stand diameter number of diameter classes, basal area and lower homogeneity index value. Considering the effect of geomorphology features on tree species or basal area heterogeneity we found that all investigated relationships are loose with R < or = 0.24. A significant correlation was detected only between tree species diversity and aspect. Future work is required to verify the detected trends in behaviour of tree species diversity if it is to estimate from the usual forest stand parameters and topography characteristics.     

Neighborhood analyses of canopy tree competition along environmental gradients in New England forests.

We use permanent-plot data from the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program for an analysis of the effects of competition on tree growth along environmental gradients for the 14 most abundant tree species in forests of northern New England, USA. Our analysis estimates actual growth for each individual tree of a given species as a function of average potential diameter growth modified by three sets of scalars that quantify the effects on growth of (1) initial target tree size (dbh), (2) local environmental conditions, and (3) crowding by neighboring trees. Potential growth of seven of the 14 species varied along at least one of the two environmental axes identified by an ordination of relative abundance of species in plots. The relative abundances of a number of species were significantly displaced from sites where they showed maximum potential growth. In all of these cases, abundance was displaced to the more resource-poor end of the environmental gradient (either low fertility or low moisture). The pattern was most pronounced among early successional species, whereas late-successional species reached their greatest abundance on sites where they also showed the highest growth in the absence of competition. The analysis also provides empirical estimates of the strength of intraspecific and interspecific competitive effects of neighbors. For all but one of the species, our results led us to reject the hypothesis that all species of competitors have equivalent effects on a target species. Most of the individual pairwise interactions were strongly asymmetric. There was a clear competitive hierarchy among the four most shade-tolerant species, and a separate competitive hierarchy among the shade-intolerant species. Our results suggest that timber yield following selective logging will vary dramatically depending on the configuration of the residual canopy, because of interspecific variation in the magnitude of both the competitive effects of different species of neighbors and the competitive responses of different species of target trees to neighbors. The matrix of competition coefficients suggests that there may be clear benefits in managing for specific mixtures of species within local neighborhoods within stands.     

矿冶区周边水稻对不同来源重金属污染的指示作用

有色金属开采与冶炼可对周边环境造成严重的重金属污染,查明重金属污染来源对于矿冶周边重金属污染管理与控制具有重要意义.为探索利用矿冶周边水稻对As、Cd、Pb、Zn和Cu的富集与水稻体内元素的含量平衡特征指示重金属污染来源的可行性,选择了我国著名的水口山Pb-Zn矿山开采与冶炼周边区,根据重金属污染排放和迁移扩散特征,结合当地气象和地貌条件,确定了3个典型采样区,其中两个采样区分别邻近冶炼厂和尾砂库,另一处为位于两者之间的过渡区.采用蛇形采样法在稻田内采集33个成熟水稻及土壤样品,分析水稻不同部位(包括根、茎叶、籽粒)及土壤中As、Cd、Pb、Zn、Cu5种重金属和其他16种元素的含量.结果表明,3个采样区之间土壤中的As、Cd、Pb、Zn和Cu含量均存在显著性差异;各采样区水稻中除根际和籽粒中Cd含量外,各部位重金属含量也均有显著差异.靠近冶炼厂的水稻茎叶中As、Pb含量高于离冶炼厂较远的采样区水稻茎叶.尽管As、Pb在靠近尾砂库采样区土壤中含量最高,但在该区水稻茎叶中的含量却最低;在除As、Cd、Pb、Zn、Cu5种重金属以外的其他16种元素中,水稻根部仅有5种元素含量在各采样区之间存在差异,指示相同的土地利用类型及土壤母质条件;而在茎叶和籽粒中则分别有多达11和10种元素含量出现采样区差异,指示重金属污染来源影响水稻茎叶及籽粒中元素的含量平衡.多元统计分析结果显示,3个采样区水稻茎叶中元素含量平衡存在显著的分异,显示出明显的采样区属性.结合采样区域空间位置、污染物来源、水稻对重金属的富集与转运特征分析,3个采样区重金属主要污染特征可分别确定为水-气混合来源型、大气来源型和尾砂来源型.论文结果证明利用水稻茎叶指示矿冶周边重金属污染来源是可行的.     

Combining a generic process-based productivity model and a statistical classification method to predict the presence and absence of tree species in the Pacific Northwest,U.S.A.

Although long-lived tree species experience considerable environmental variation over their life spans, their geographical distributions reflect sensitivity mainly to mean monthly climatic conditions. We introduce an approach that incorporates a physiologically based growth model to illustrate how a half-dozen tree species differ in their responses to monthly variation in four climatic-related variables: water availability, deviations from an optimum temperature, atmospheric humidity deficits, and the frequency of frost. Rather than use climatic data directly to correlate with a species’ distribution, we assess the relative constraints of each of the four variables as they affect predicted monthly photosynthesis for Douglas-fir, the most widely distributed species in the region. We apply an automated regression-tree analysis to create a suite of rules, which differentially rank the relative importance of the four climatic modifiers for each species, and provide a basis for predicting a species’ presence or absence on 3737 uniformly distributed U.S. Forest Services’ Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) field survey plots. Results of this generalized rule-based approach were encouraging, with weighted accuracy, which combines the correct prediction of both presence and absence on FIA survey plots, averaging 87%. A wider sampling of climatic conditions throughout the full range of a species’ distribution should improve the basis for creating rules and the possibility of predicting future shifts in the geographic distribution of species.     

Habitat fragmentation and effects of herbivore (howler monkey) abundances on bird species richness

Habitat fragmentation can alter herbivore abundances, potentially causing changes in the plant community that can propagate through the food web and eventually influence other important taxonomic groups such as birds. Here we test the relationship between the density of red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) and bird species richness on a large set of recently isolated land-bridge islands in Lago Guri, Venezuela (n = 29 islands). Several of these islands host relict populations of howler monkeys at densities up to more than 30 times greater than those on the mainland. These "hyperabundant" herbivores previously have been shown to have a strong positive influence on aboveground plant productivity. We predicted that this should lead to a positive, indirect effect of howler monkey density on bird species richness. After accounting for passive sampling (the tendency for species richness to be positively associated with island area, regardless of differences in habitat quality) we found a significant positive correlation between howler monkey density and bird species richness. A path analysis incorporating data on tree growth rates from a subset of islands (n = 9) supported the hypothesis that the effect of howler monkeys on the resident bird communities is indirect and is mediated through changes in plant productivity and habitat quality. These results highlight the potential for disparate taxonomic groups to be related through indirect interactions and trophic cascades.     

Neutral theory and the evolution of ecological equivalence

Since the publication of the unified neutral theory in 2001, there has been much discussion of the theory, pro and con. The hypothesis of ecological equivalence is the fundamental yet controversial idea behind neutral theory. Assuming trophically similar species are demographically alike (symmetric) on a per capita basis is only an approximation, but it is equivalent to asking: How many of the patterns of ecological communities are the result of species similarities, rather than of species differences? The strategy behind neutral theory is to see how far one can get with the simplification of assuming ecological equivalence before introducing more complexity. In another paper, I review the empirical evidence that led me to hypothesize ecological equivalence among many of the tree species in the species-rich tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island (BCI). In this paper, I develop a simple model for the evolution of ecological equivalence or niche convergence, using as an example evolution of the suite of life history traits characteristic of shade tolerant tropical tree species. Although the model is simple, the conclusions from it seem likely to be robust. I conclude that ecological equivalence for resource use are likely to evolve easily and often, especially in species-rich communities that are dispersal and recruitment limited. In the case of the BCI forest, tree species are strongly dispersal- and recruitment-limited, not only because of restricted seed dispersal, but also because of low recruitment success due to heavy losses of the seedling stages to predators and pathogens and other abiotic stresses such as drought. These factors and the high species richness of the community strongly reduce the potential for competitive exclusion of functionally equivalent or nearly equivalent species.     

重金属污染下龟壳攀鲈组织中ACP和AKP的活力比较

龟壳攀鲈是一种在极端污染水域中具备生存优势的鱼类,收集重污染区和轻污染区的龟壳攀鲈,并通过比较其体内各组织中的酸性磷酸酶(ACP)及碱性磷酸酶(AKP)活性来揭示其耐污能力。贵屿作为重污染区有4个采样点:大陇村、市上村、联堤村和北林村;潮州作为轻污染区有2个采样点:卧石村和洗马桥。水质结果表明,贵屿采样地水中的Pb、Cd、Cr、As、Hg含量分别是潮州采样点的27.6倍、3.9倍、5.8倍、3.9倍和3.5倍,说明贵屿采样地的污染远高于潮州的。酶活结果表明,在龟壳攀鲈所有组织中,内脏组织(胃肠、性腺、肝脏、脾脏、肾脏)中的ACP和AKP活力均高于外周组织(肌肉、鳞片、鳃);重金属污染均能提高攀鲈体内所有组织的ACP和AKP活力;AKP活性更容易受到重金属的影响,各组织的AKP活力增幅普遍超过ACP活力增幅;其中,受重金属影响最大的组织是脾脏,ACP和AKP活力可增长到2.37倍和6.21倍。这些结果说明了龟壳攀鲈可以通过显著升高内脏组织(如肠胃、肝脏、肾脏等)中ACP和AKP活性,以便更好地应对高污染环境;其中AKP更容易受到重金属的影响,适合用于作为评估污染的指标。     

Disentangling the effects of heterogeneity, stochastic dynamics and sampling in a community of aquatic insects

A dynamic and heterogeneous species abundance model generating the lognormal species abundance distribution is fitted to time series of species data from an assemblage of stoneflies and mayflies (Plecoptera and Ephemeroptera) of an aquatic insect community collected over a period of 15 years. In each year except one, we analyze 5 parallel samples taken at the same time of the season giving information about the over-dispersion in the sampling relative to the Poisson distribution. Results are derived from a correlation analysis, where the correlation in the bivariate normal distribution of log abundance is used as measurement of similarity between communities. The analysis enables decomposition of the variance of the lognormal species abundance distribution into three components due to heterogeneity among species, stochastic dynamics driven by environmental noise, and over-dispersion in sampling, accounting for 62.9, 30.6 and 6.5% of the total variance, respectively. Corrected for sampling the heterogeneity and stochastic components accordingly account for 67.3 and 32.7% of the among species variance in log abundance. By using this method, it is possible to disentangle the effect of heterogeneity and stochastic dynamics by quantifying these components and correctly remove sampling effects on the observed species abundance distribution.     

Effects of sampling completeness on the structure of plant-pollinator networks

Plant-animal interaction networks provide important information on community organization. One of the most critical assumptions of network analysis is that the observed interaction patterns constitute an adequate sample of the set of interactions present in plant-animal communities. In spite of its importance, few studies have evaluated this assumption, and in consequence, there is no consensus on the sensitivity of network metrics to sampling methodological shortcomings. In this study we examined how variation in sampling completeness influences the estimation of six network metrics frequently used in the literature (connectance, nestedness, modularity, robustness to species loss, path length, and centralization). We analyzed data of 186 flowering plants and 336 pollinator species in 10 networks from a forest-fragmented system in central Chile. Using species-based accumulation curves, we estimated the deviation of network metrics in undersampled communities with respect to exhaustively sampled communities and the effect of network size and sampling evenness on network metrics. Our results indicate that: (1) most metrics were affected by sampling completeness but differed in their sensitivity to sampling effort; (2) nestedness, modularity, and robustness to species loss were less influenced by insufficient sampling than connectance, path length, and centralization; (3) robustness was mildly influenced by sampling evenness. These results caution studies that summarize information from databases with high, or unknown, heterogeneity in sampling effort per species and should stimulate researchers to report sampling intensity to standardize its effects in the search for broad patterns in plant-pollinator networks.     

Natural tree collectives of pure oriental spruce [Picea orientalis (L.) Link] on mountain forests in Turkey

Distribution area of oriental spruce [Picea orientalis (L.) Link.] in the world is only in the north-east of Turkey and Caucasian. Because of being the semi monopoly tree with respect to its distribution and representing the upper forest line, it is necessary to analyse, evaluate and model the stand structures of oriental spruce forests in Turkey. In this research, some sampling plots were selected in timberline and treeline in the subalpine forest zone in Turkey. In these sampling plots some information about occurrence and development of the tree collectives was obtained. A total of 12 sampling plots (6 in timberline and 6 of them in treeline) were studied and horizontal and vertical stand profiles were obtained, while number of trees ranges between 2-86 in the tree collectives in treeline and in timberline 3-12. According to this, area per tree in treeline and in timberline is determined as 1.02 m2 and 3.75 m2 on an average respectively. Mean age of trees to reach breast height is 43 years in treeline sampling plots and 22 years in timberline sampling plots. According to the ratio of h (mean height) / d1.30 (diameter at breast height), stand stability values were calculated and it was determined if the stands were stable on the basis of the sampling plots. Stability values of the sampling plots changed between 33 and 75.