Plant sociological relationships around the bedrock to conserve sustainable vegetation area at the summit of Mudeungsan National Park in South Korea.

Mudeungsan National Park is a tall mountain located in the middle of Gwangju City. It is a UNESCO Global Geopark recognised as a rich repository of biological resources with high plant species diversity. However, hiking trails created around the exposed bedrock on the slopes around the mountain's summit cause soil loss and habitat destruction. To conserve the plant ecosystem of Mudeungsan National Park sustainably, the present study was conducted to find a species that could indicate the conservation status of the ecosystem. We the sociological relationships between plants with the aim of restoring habitats and species diversity around the summit bedrock at Mudeungsan National Park. In particular, our goal was to provide basic data for projects aimed at improving future hiking trails in national parks by analysing the sociological relationships between Potentilla ancistrifolia var. dickinsii, which is a phytogeographically important plant, and its companion plants. Findings showed high centrality of Miscanthus Sinensis, Lespedeza bicolor, Rhododendron schlippenbachii, Carex lanceolate, Arundinella hirta, and Rubus crataegifolius in the plant social network on the summit ridge of Mudeungsan. The analysis of the plant social network around P. ancistrifolia var. dickinsii showed that the extent of destruction of the ridge ecosystem could be determined by the changes in P. ancistriflolia. var. dickinsii cover, indicating that this species could be used as an indicator species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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