Quantitative Vegetation Analysis of Tropical Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests of Assam, Northeast India

Quantitative Vegetation Analysis of Tropical Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests of Assam, Northeast India

Authors

  •   Gitamani Dutta   Balipara Tract & Frontier Foundation, Assam
  •   Ashalata Devi   Department of Environmental Science, Tezpur University, Assam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2017/v143i11/119660

Keywords:

Lumding Reserve Forest, Plant Diversity, Population Structure, Regeneration Status.

Abstract

The present study was carried out for quantitative analysis of plant diversity, population structure and regeneration status of tropical moist mixed deciduous forest of Assam, northeast India. The study was carried out in Lumding reserve forest(longitude 93° 0'0''- 93°15'0'' E and latitude 25°45'0''- 25°52'0' N) located towards the South of Nagaon district of Assam. A total of 145 plant species (90 tree, 18 shrubs, 26 herbs, 9 climbers and 2 lianas) belonging to 112 genera and 59 families were recorded. Shannon-Wiener diversity index (2.18 to 3.74) and Simpson's index (0.03 to 0.15) were within the range reported for different Indian tropical forests and indicate that Lumding reserve forest is a species diverse forest. A few dominant tree species like Holarrhena antidysenterica, Diospyros embryopteris, Albizzia lebbek, Mallotus philippensis, Litchi longana depending on size-class distribution showed reverse J-shaped population curve and Trewia nudiflora showed J- shaped curve. Most of the tree species (44%) showed 'fair regeneration'.

References

Ayyappan N. and Parthasarathy N. (2001). Composition, population structure and distribution of Dipterocarps in a tropical evergreen forest at Varagalaiar, Anamalais, Western Ghats, South India, J. Tropical Forest Science, 13: 311-321.

Bhuyan P., Khan M.L. and Tripathi R.S. (2003). Tree diversity and population structure in undisturbed and human-impacted stands of tropical wet evergreen forest in Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalayas, India, Biodiversity and Conservation, 12: 1753-1773.

Champion H.G. and Seth S.K. (1968). A revised survey of forest types of India. Dehradun: Natraj Publishers.

Cottam G. and Curtis J.T. (1956). The use of distance measurement in phytosociological sampling, Ecology, 37: 451-460.

Deb P. and Sundriyal R.C. (2011). Vegetation dynamics of an old-growth lowland tropical rainforest in North-east India: species composition and stand heterogeneity, Inter. J. of Biodiversity and Conservation, 3: 405-430.

Deka J., Tripathi O.P., and Khan M.L. (2012). High dominance of Shorea robusta Gaertn. in alluvial plain kamrup sal forest of Assam, N. E. India, Inter. J. Ecosystem, 2: 67-73.

Devi L.S. and Yadava P.S. (2006). Floristic diversity assessment and vegetation analysis of tropical semievergreen forest of Manipur, north east India, Tropical Ecology, 47: 89-98.

Dutta G. and Devi A. (2013). Plant diversity, population structure and regeneration status in disturbed tropical forest of Assam, northeast India, J. Forestry Research, 24: 715-720.

Forman R.T.T. and Alexander L.E. (1998). Roads and their ecological effects, Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 29: 207-231.

Gautam K.H. (2001). Looping regimes in community managed sal (Shorea robusta) forests of Nepal, In: Prospects for multiple product silviculture for community forestry, School of forestry, University of Centerbury, Christchurch, pp. 267.

Gautam K.H. and Devoe N.N. (2006) Ecological and anthropogenic niches of sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.) forest and prospects for multipleproduct forest management- a review, Forestry, 79: 81-101.

Getachew T., Demel T., Masresha F. and Erwin B. (2010). Regeneration of seven indigenous tree species in a dry Afromontane forest, Southern Ethiopia, Flora, 205: 135-143.

Kadavvul K. and Parthasarathy N. (1999). Plant biodiversity and conservation of tropical semi-evergreen forests in the Shervarayan hills of Eastern Ghats, India, Biodiversity and Conservation, 8: 421-439.

Kadavvul K. and Parthasarathy N. (2001). Population analysis of Alphonsea sclerocarpa Thw. (Annonaceae) in the Kalrayan hills of Eastern Ghats, India, International J. Ecology and Environmental Science, 27: 51-54.

Khan M.L., Rai J.P.N. and Tripathi R.S. (1987). Population structure of some tree species in disturbed and protected subtropical forests of northeast India, Acta Ecologica, 8: 247-255.

Khumbongmayum A.D., Khan M.L. and Tripathi R.S. (2006). Biodiversity conservation in sacred groves of Manipur, Northeast India: population structure and regeneration status of woody species, Biodiversity and Conservation, 15: 2439-2456.

Kumar Y. (1989). Floristic studies on Balphakram wildlife sanctuary in Meghalaya-5: rare, endemic or threatened flora, J. Meghalaya Science Society, 11and12: 33-48.

Kushwaha S.P.S. and Nandy S. (2012). Species diversity and community structure in sal (Shorea robusta) forests of two different rainfall regimes in West Bengal, India, Biodiversity and Conservation, 21: 1215-1228.

Lalfakawma U., Sahoo K., Roy S., Vanlalhriatpuia K. and Vanalalhluna P.C. (2009). Community composition and tree population structure in undisturbed and disturbed tropical semi-evergreen forest stands of north-east India, Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 7: 303-318.

Mazumdar K., Shankar U. and Datta B.K. (2012). Tree species diversity and stand structure along major community types in lowland primary and secondary moist deciduous forest in Tripura, Northeast India, J. Forestry Research, 23: 553-568.

Mishra B.P., Tripathi O.P. and Laloo R.C. (2005). Community characteristics of a climax subtropical humid forest of Meghalaya and population structure of ten important tree species, Tropical Ecology, 46: 241-251.

Mishra R.K., Upadhyay V.P. and Mohanty R.C. (2008). Vegetation ecology of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Orissa, India, Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 6: 89-99.

Muller-Dombois D. and Ellenberg H. (1974). Aims and methods of vegetation ecology. Wiley, New York.

Nath P.C., Arunachalam A., Khan M.L., Arunachalam K. and Barbhuiya A.R. (2005). Vegetation analysis and tree population structure of tropical wet evergreen forests in and around Namdapha National Park, Northeast India, Biodiversity and Conservation, 14: 2109-2136.

Pala N.A., Negi A.K., Gokhale Y., Bhat J.A. and Todaria N.P. (2012). Diversity and regeneration status of Sarkot Van Panchyat in Garhwal Himalaya, India, J. Forestry Research, 23: 399-404.

Parthasarathy N. and Karthikeyan R. (1997). Plant biodiversity inventory and conservation of two tropical dry evergreen forests on the Coromandel Coast, south India, Biodiversity and Conservation, 6: 1063-1083.

Parthasarathy N. (1999). Tree diversity and distribution in undisturbed and human-impacted sites of tropical wet evergreen forest in Southern Western Ghats, India, Biodiversity and Conservation, 8: 1365-1381.

Pielou E.C. (1966). Shannon's formula as a measure of specific diversity: its use and misuse, American naturalist, 100: 463-465.

Pitchairamu C., Muthuchelian K. and Siva N. (2008). Floristic inventory and quantitative vegetation analysis of tropical dry deciduous forest in Piranmalai forest, Eastern Ghats, Tamil nadu, India, Ethnobotanical Leaflets, 12: 204-216.

Rahman M.H., Khan A.S.A., Roy B. and Fardusi M.J. (2011). Assessment of natural regeneration status and diversity of tree species in the biodiversity conservation areas of Northeastern Bangladesh, Journal of Forestry Research, 22: 551-559.

Rajkumar M. and Parathasarathy N. (2008). Tree diversity and structure of Andaman Giant Evergreen Forests, India, Tropical Ecology, 53: 356368.

Rao P., Barik S.K., Pandey H.N. and Tripathi R.S. (1990). Community composition and tree population structure in a sub-tropical broad-leaved forest along a disturbance gradient, Vegetatio, 88: 151-162.

Rasingam L. and Parathasarathy N. (2009). Tree species diversity and population structure across major forest formations and disturbance categories in Little Andaman Island, India, Tropical Ecology, 50: 89-102.

Sagar R. and Singh J.S. (2005). Structure, diversity, and regeneration of tropical dry deciduous forest of northern India, Biodiversity and Conservation, 14: 935-959.

Sahu S.C., Dhal N.K. and Mohanty R.C. (2012). Tree species diversity, distribution and population structure in a tropical dry deciduous forest of Malyagiri hill ranges, Eastern Ghats, India, Tropical Ecology, 52: 163-168.

Saxena A.K., Singh S.P. and Singh J.S. (1984). Population structure of forest of Kumaun Himalaya: implications for management, J. Environmental Management, 19: 307-324.

Shankar U. (2001). A case of high tree diversity in a Sal (Shorea robusta) dominated lowland forest of Eastern Himalaya: Floristic composition, regeneration and conservation, Current Science, 81: 776–786.

Shannon C.E. and Wiener W. (1963). The mathematical theory of communities. Urbana Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 117 pp.

Simpson E.H. (1949). Measurement of diversity, Nature, 163: 688.

Singh A.P., Singh A.K., Mishra D.K., Bora P. and Sharma P. (2010). Ensuring safe access to wildlife in Lumding Reserve Forest, Assam, India, Mitigating the impacts of up-gradation of Doboka-Silchar National Highway (NH54E), WWF- India.

Singh J.S., Rawat Y.S. and Chaturvedi O.P. (1984). Replacement of oak forest with pine in the Himalaya affect the nitrogen cycle, Nature, 311: 54-56.

Spellerberg I.F. (1998). Ecological effects of roads and traffic: a literature review, Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters, 7: 317-333.

Srivastava S., Singh T.P., Singh H., Kushwaha S.P.S. and Roy P.S. (2002). Assessment of large-scale deforestation in Sonitpur district of Assam, Current Science, 82: 1479-1484.

Swamy P.S., Sundarapandian S.M., Chandrasekar P. and Chandrasekaran S. (2000). Plant species diversity and tree population structure of a humid tropical forest in Tamil Nadu, India, Biodiversity and conservation, 9: 1643-1669.

Tynsong H. and Tiwari B.K. (2011). Diversity and population characteristics of woody species in natural forests and arecanut agroforests of south Meghalaya, northeast India, Tropical Ecology, 52: 243-252.

Upadhaya K., Pandey H.N., Law P.S. and Tripathi R.S. (2004). Diversity and population characteristics of woody species in subtropical humid forest exposed to cultural disturbances in Meghalaya, Northeast India, Tropical Ecology, 45: 303-314.

Vasanthraj B.K. and Chandrashekar K.R. (2006). Analysis of the structure of Charmady reserve forest, Tropical Ecology, 47: 279-290.

Vasanthraj B.K., Shivaprasad P.V. and Chandrashekar K.R. (2004). Studies on the structure of Jadkal forest, Udupi district, India, J. Tropical Forest Science, 17: 13-32.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Published

2017-11-01

How to Cite

Dutta, G., & Devi, A. (2017). Quantitative Vegetation Analysis of Tropical Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests of Assam, Northeast India. Indian Forester, 143(11), 1133–1142. https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2017/v143i11/119660
Loading...