Plot characteristics Average tree basal area of mature forest plots (28.3 ± 4.1 m2 ha1) was higher but not significantly different from the regenerating forest plots (21.4 ± 6.2 m2 ha1, Table 1).
Similarly, tree density and average tree species richness were also higher in mature forest, whereas mean canopy openness was lower in mature forest, compared to regenerating forest (Table 1),
but these differences were not significant. However, all of the above variables differed significantly different between tea plantation plots and forest plots (Tukey’s HSD test, p < 0.05, Table 1).
The first axis of NMDS (NMDS1) ordination revealed that the plant species composition varied markedly across
the disturbance gradient from mature forest (positive) to tea plantations (negative), which can be understood from the close correlation with basal area. The second axis (NMDS2) reflected plant compositional differences between rain forest (negative) and broadleaf evergreen forest (positive) sites, and also between terraced tea plantation