Abstract:To understand the competition and coexistence ability of the Pinus kwangtungensis community for environmental resources and provide scientific suggestions for the protection measures of P. kwangtungensis in the Nanling National Nature Reserve, the typical plots were set up to conduct vegetation surveys of the tree and shrub layers, and analyzed the ecological niche characteristics of P. kwangtungensis community using indicators such as niche breadth and niche overlap. The results showed that the Levins and Shannon niche breadth values of the tree layer of P. kwangtungensis were 15 and 14, respectively, while the niche breadth values of the shrub layer were relatively small. The niche breadth values of P. kwangtungensis decreased along altitude. The average niche overlap value was greater than 0.5, indicating that the community was in the process of succession and internal competition was intense. In the tree layer, Pinus kwangtungensis exhibited higher niche overlap with Ilex elmerrilliana and Litsea elongata; those with smaller niche overlap values were Perkinsiodendron macgregorii and Diospyros morrisiana. The differences in soil water and heat caused by altitude, as well as the changes in total nitrogen and total phosphorus content of the soil, comprehensively affected the niche breadth of Pinus kwangtungensis.