倒木分解及其相联系的附生植物群落演替在地力维持、生物元素循环、水源涵养等方面具有重要生态功能，并受到林窗控制的微环境的影响。然而，已有研究很少关注倒木分解与附生植物群落的关系及其对林窗的响应。因此，基于“林窗不仅同步影响倒木分解及其附生植物群落的定居和演替，而且改变了这两个生态学过程的相互联系，最终决定了整个倒木分解过程和倒木附生植物群落的多样性”的科学假说，拟以川西亚高山针叶林为研究对象，采用年龄序列与时间系列相结合的倒木分解实验和倒木附生植物去除实验，重点研究亚高山针叶林岷江冷杉倒木分解过程及其联系的附生植物群落演替，林窗位置对不同腐烂等级的倒木分解过程及其附生植物群落演替的影响，附生植物对倒木分解的作用机制，理解林窗更新对倒木分解的影响机制，揭示倒木分解过程与附生植物群落演替的内在联系。研究结果可为深入理解亚高山针叶林生态系统过程和森林可持续经营与管理提供关键证据。

Both log decomposition and the community succession of epiphytic plants play important roles in ecosystem functions such as fertility maintaining, biogeochemical cycles and water conservation, which are influenced by gap-induced microenvironmental conditions. As yet, little information has been available on the relationships between log decomposition and epiphytic plant community succession, and these processes in respond to forest gap. Therefore, it is hypothesized that forest gap not only gives strong effects on log decomposition process, and colonization and succession of epiphytic plant community simultaneously, but also alters the interactions of these two ecological processes, which in turn manipulates the whole process of log decomposition and biodiversity of epiphytic plant community. Based on an optimized method of decomposition time series and chronosequence, a 4-year log decomposition experiment combined with log epiphytic plants removal will be conducted in the subalpine coniferous forest of western Sichuan. We will focus on the decomposition process of Minjiiang fir (Abies faxoniana) log and its relationships with epiphytic plant community succession, the effects of forest locations on the decomposition process and epiphytic plant community succession of different decaying stages of Minjiang fir logs, and the effects and mechanisms of log epiphytic plants (e.g., lich and bryophytes) on log decomposition in the subalpine coniferous forest. It will be expected to understand the effects and their mechanisms of forest gap regeneration on log decomposition, and to illustrate the interactions between log decomposition process and epiphytic plant community succession. The results might provide crucial scientific basis for understanding subalpine forest ecosystem process and for sustainable forest management.