Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Assessment of plant diversity in sal forest of north Gorakhpur forest division, India
Pandey Sanjay Kumar, Pande Shail, Mishra Ashwani Kumar, Shukla Ravindra P.
Short Communications | Published: 06 July, 2024
First Page: 1699
Last Page: 1706
Views: 2126
Keywords: Life form, Plant diversity, Rarity class, Sal -forest, Species richness
Abstract
Forest of North Gorakhpur Division, India represents the typical moist deciduous sal forest vegetation. The objective of this study is to evaluate plant diversity, distribution patterns, the biological spectrum of plant species and their conservation status. A total of 167 plant species were observed comprising 136 genera under 62 families. The number of overstorey species was maximum followed by that of understorey species and climbers. Tree density (399 ± 36) and basal area (21.96 ± 1.27) per hectare were markedly high. Phanerophytes had the highest percentage (49%) of life form followed by Chamaephytes (21%). The deviation of the observed ratio from Raunkiaer’s life form was around 2% for Phanerophytes, cryptophytes and therophytes suggesting the regional forest is heterogenous in nature. Rare species like Kirganelia reticulata, Rauwolfia serpentina, Abrus precatorius, Naravelia zeylanica, Pterocarpus marsupium and Stereospermum suaveolens need special attention in terms of their conservation. The finding highlights the rich biodiversity of the regional forest ecosystem, showcasing a significant number of rare plant species. Some degree of compromise in the maintenance of biodiversity becomes essential to get the supply of various resources from forest vegetation. Therefore, a suitable conservation strategy is necessary to cater a local need as well as to maintain the optimum plant diversity.
References
Atkinson J, Brudvig LA, Mallen-Cooper M, Nakagawa S, Moles AT, Bonser SP (2022) Terrestrial ecosystem restoration increases biodiversity and reduces its variability, but not to reference levels: a global meta-analysis. Ecol Lett 25:1725–1737
Behera MD, Behera SK, Sharma S (2019) Recent advances in biodiversity and climate change studies in India. Biodivers Conserv 28:1943–1951
Bhuyan P, Khan ML, Tripathi RS (2003) Tree diversity and population structure in undisturbed and human-impacted stands of tropical wet evergreen forest in Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalayas, India. Biodivers Conserv 12:1753–1773
Braun-Blanquet J, Fuller GD, Conard HS (eds) (1965) Plant sociology: the study of plant communities. Hafner, London
Bricca A, Bonari G, Padullés Cubino J, Cutini M (2023) Effect of forest structure and management on the functional diversity and composition of understorey plant communities. Appl Veg Sci 26(1–12):e12710
Champion HG, Seth SK (1968) General Silviculture for India. Publication Branch, Department of Printing and Stationary Government of India, Delhi
Chaturvedi RK, Raghubanshi AS, Tomilnson KW, Singh JS (2017) Impacts of human disturbance in tropical dry forests increase with soil moisture stress. J Veg Sci 28:997–1007
Chitale VS, Behera MD (2014) Analysing land and vegetation cover dynamics during last three decades in Katerniaghat wildlife sanctuary, India. J Earth Syst Sci 123:1467–1479
Corlett RT, Primack RB (2011) Tropical rain forests, an ecological and biogeographical comparison, 2nd edn. Wiley-Blackwell, USA, p 336
Kumar R, Saikia P (2020) Floristic analysis and dominance pattern of sal (Shorea robusta) forests in Ranchi, Jharkhand, eastern India. J For Res 31(2):415–427
Kushwaha SP, Nandy S (2012) Species diversity and community structure in sal (Shorea robusta) forests of two different rainfall regimes in West Bengal, India. Biodivers Conserv 21(5):1215–1228
Magurran AE (1988) Why diversity. Ecological diversity and its measurement. Springer, Netherlands, pp 1–5
Majumdar K, Shankar U, Datta BK (2014) Trends in tree diversity and stand structure during restoration: a case study in fragmented moist deciduous forest ecosystems of Northeast India. J Ecosyst 1:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/845142
Mishra BP, Tripathi RS, Tripathi OP, Pandey HN (2003) Effect of disturbance on the regeneration of four dominant and economically important woody species in a broad-leaved subtropical humid forest of Meghalaya, northeast India. Curr Sci 84(10):1449–1453
Mueller-Dombois D, Ellenberg H (1974) Aims and methods of vegetation ecology. John Wiley & Sons, New York
Pande PK (1999) Comparative vegetation analysis and sal (Shorea robusta) regeneration in relation to their disturbance magnitude in some sal forests. Trop Ecol 40(1):51–61
Pandey SK, Shukla RP (1999) Plant diversity and community patterns along the disturbance gradient in plantation forests of sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn). Curr Sci 77:814–818
Pandey SK, Shukla RP (2003) Plant diversity in managed sal {Shorea robusta Gaertn.) forests of Gorakhpur, India: species composition, regeneration and conservation. Biodivers Conserv 12:2295–2319
Pandey SK, Shukla RP (2018) Plant population structure and species diversity status at two disturbance regimes within mixed forests and sal forests of Gorakhpur, India. Int J Ecol Environ Sci 44:43–58
Pandey SK, Shukla RP (2019) Effect of disturbance on population structure, regeneration and conservation of Moghania chappar in sal forests of Gorakhpur, India. Trop Ecol 60:337–349
Rahmana MM, Nishatb A, Vacika H (2009) Anthropogenic disturbances and plant diversity of the Madhupur Sal forests (Shorea robusta Gaertn CF) of Bangladesh. Int J Biodivers Sci Ecosyst Serv Manag 5(3):162–173
Shukla RP, Pandey SK (2020) Vegetation and Plant Diversity. SSPH, New Delhi, pp-232
Singh A, Reddy VS, Singh JS (1995) Analysis of woody vegetation of Corbett National Park, India. Vegetatio 120(1):69–79
Srivastava TN (1976) Flora Gorakhpurensis. Today and Tomorrow’s Printers and Publishers, New Delhi
Tripathi KP, Singh B (2009) Species diversity and vegetation structure across various strata in natural and plantation forests in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary. Trop Ecol 501:191–200
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. Curr Sci 81:776–786
Majumdar K, Shankar U, Datta BK (2012) Tree species diversity and stand structure along major community types in lowland primary and secondary moist deciduous forests in Tripura, Northeast India. J For Res 23(4):553–568
Pandey SK, Shukla RP (2001) Regeneration strategy and plant diversity status in degraded sal forests. Curr Sci 81:95–102
Shankar U, Tripathi AK (2017) Rainforests north of the Tropic of Cancer: Physiognomy, floristics and diversity in ‘lowland rainforests’ of Meghalaya, India. Plant Divers 39:20–36
Author Information
Department of Botany, D. A. V. P. G. College, Gorakhpur, India