The study was carried out in TIL, Zhejiang Province, eastern China (29°22’–29°50’ N, 118°34’–119°15’ E; Fig. 1 ). This large artificial reservoir was created by the construction of the Xin’anjiang Dam for hydroelectricity in 1959, resulting in the flooding of an area of approximately 573 km2 at the high-water mark (108 m above sea level) and the creation of 1,078 islands (0.25–1,320 ha) out of former hilltops38 (link),63 (link). The main habitat type is unmanaged secondary forest (typical coverage ~90%) and the dominant plant species is P. massoniana40 (link). The natural vegetation type on the islands is a mix of subtropical deciduous and coniferous forest, with many broad-leaved tree and shrub species, such as Cyclobalanopsis glauca, Castanopsis sclerophylla, Smilax davidiana, Grewia biloba and Loropetalum chinense. In the island interior, the understorey shrub and herb layers are relatively sparse and dominated by generalist shrubs Loropetalum chinense, S. paniculata and S. sumuntia, whereas at the island edge, the understory shrub and herb layers are denser and more diverse, simultaneously containing many specialist species as well as widespread generalists. The climate is typical of the subtropical monsoon zone and is highly seasonal. Median annual precipitation in this area is 1,430 mm, mainly concentrated in the rainy season between April and June. The average annual temperature is 17.0 °C, ranging from −7.6 °C to 41.8 °C39 (link),40 (link).
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