Quantitative characteristics and ecological correlations of sexual system in a deciduous broadleaf forest of the Baiyun Mountains of Henan Province, China

Exploring the quantitative characteristics of forest communities in a subtropical-to-temperate transition zone from the perspective of plant sexual systems can provide valuable information for biodiversity conservation and species coexistence. In this study, woody plants in the subtropical-to-temperate transition zone of the Baiyun Mountains were investigated and the quantitative characteristics of their sexual systems were analyzed. Variance of variance partition analysis environment for sexual system. Results showed that of the 93 woody seed plants recorded in the 5 hm² plots, 56 species were hermaphroditic (58.06%), 20 species were monoecious (21.51%), and 19 species were dioecious (20.43%). The proportion of monoecious plants was larger in the warm temperate-subtropical transition zone, consistent with the reproductive characteristics of temperate forests. Topographic factors have influenced the composition of the sexual systems of woody plants in the Baiyun Mountains. Furthermore, diffusion restriction is an important ecological process affecting the woody plant community.