persist in situ through disturbance events. The 'persistence niche'of sprouting has important
influences on species coexistence, community assembly, and ecosystem stability. However,
the mechanism of the 'persistence niche'in maintaining species diversity is not well
understood. Based on data collected in a 5 ha plot in a mid-subtropical evergreen broad-
leaved forest in the Gutianshan National Natural Reserve of Zhejiang Province, China, we …