Species turnover and diversity during early stages of vegetation recovery on the volcano Usu, northern Japan

Abstract To study the rate of revegetation during succession on the volcano Usu, northern Japan, vegetation structure and species composition were monitored from 1984 to 1988 in permanent quadrats near the summit of the volcano, which had been almost completely deforested by 1 to 3 m thick volcanic deposits in 1977–78. Analyses of vegetation structure included species richness, species diversity (IT) , evenness (J'); year‐to‐year changes were quantified using Community Coefficient (CC), and Percentage Similarity (PS). While species turnover rates fluctuated and vegetation cover gradually increased, species richness, diversity and evenness did not fluctuate much. The diversity parameters showed slightly different levels for three habitat types distinguished. CC values comparing subsequent years with the starting year 1984 suggest only minor changes in qualitative species composition; PS values decreased more rapidly, indicating larger changes in species cover. A few well‐rooted perennial plants were predominant, therefore, PS decline resulted from dominance‐controlled community structure. PS‐value detected not only habitat difference, but also the rate of the volcanic succession, suggesting that PS is most effective to evaluate successional pace.