Journal of Forest and Environmental Science

Institute of Forest Science, kangwon National University (강원대학교 산림과학연구소)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Tree Diversity, Distribution and Population Structure of a Riparian Forest from Certain Zones along the Dikhu River in Nagaland, India

  • Leishangthem, Devlin (Centre for Biodiversity Studies, Department of Botany, Nagaland University) ;
  • Singh, Maibam Romeo (Centre for Biodiversity Studies, Department of Botany, Nagaland University)
  • Received : 2017.09.14
  • Accepted : 2018.01.22
  • Published : 2018.02.28
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

At present the biodiversity of the riparian forest is under threat due to various anthropogenic pressures. Hence study was conducted along the three unprotected zones of riparian forest in Dikhu river, Nagaland, north-east India in order to compared the diversity, distribution and population structure of riparian trees. In each zone $100{\times}100m^2$ plot were marked and subdivided into 20 plots of $10{\times}10m^2$. 10 plots on each side of the river were taken randomly covering 0.02 ha. Only tree with dbh ${\geq}10cm$ and dbh above 1.5 m above ground level were recorded as individual species. A total of 29 tree species belonging to 18 families were recorded from the three zones of the river. Tree species richness was highest at the middle zone (19) followed by upper (14) and lower zone (7). The most abundant species and family recorded at upper, middle and lower zones were Melia azaderach of Euphorbiaceae ($380\;stems\;ha^{-1}$), Terminalia chebula of Euphorbiaceae ($432.5\;stems\;ha^{-1}$) and Duabanga grandiflora of Lythraceae ($365\;stems\;ha^{-1}$) respectively. The ranges of diversity indices observed in the three zones were: Shannon-Wiener index (1.25-0.73), Simpson diversity index (0.42-0.93), Evenness index (0.47-0.37) and Index of co-dominance (0.75-0.94). Rest of other indices were also estimated and compared. Distribution of trees shows the contagious pattern common in the upper and middle zones and regular in the lower zone. The girth size class analysis demonstrated that the riparian forest is in less mature succession stage. This study emphasize the need for management and conservation of riparian forest by developing policy to declare the riparian zone as protected area to prevent further degradation and loss of biodiversity from these unregulated zones along the river.

Keywords

References

  1. Adekunle VAJ, Olagoke AO, Akinele SO. 2013. Tree species diversity and structure of a Nigerian strict nature reserve. Trop Ecol 54: 275-289.
  2. Ayyappan N, Parthasarathy N. 1999. Biodiversity inventory of trees in a large-scale permanent plot of tropical evergreen forest at Varagalaiar, Anamalais, Western Ghats, India. Biodivers Conserv 8: 1533-1554. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008940803073
  3. Azliza M, Nazre M, Mohamad-Roslan MK, Shamsul K. 2012. Characterization of riparian plant community in lowland forest of Peninsular Malaysia. Int J Botany 8: 181-191. https://doi.org/10.3923/ijb.2012.181.191
  4. Bachan AKH. 2003. Riparian Vegetation Along the Middle and Lower Zones of the Chalakkudy River, Kerala, India. Project 26/2000 Sponsored by Kerala Research Programme of Local Development, CDS, Thiruvananthapuram.
  5. Baraloto C, Molto Q, Rabaud S, Herault B, Valencia R, Blanc L, Fine PVA, Thompson J. 2013. Rapid simultaneous estimation of above ground biomass and tree diversity across Neotropical forests: a comparison of field inventory methods. Bitropica 45: 288-298. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12006
  6. Basyal S, Lekhak HD, Devkota A. 2011. Regeneration of Shorea robusta. Gaertn in tropical forest of Palpa district, Central Nepal. Sci World 9: 53-56.
  7. Bennet SSR. 1987. Name Changes in Flowering Plants of India and Adjacent Regions. Triseas Publishers, Dehradun, 772 pp.
  8. Bentham G, Hooker JD. 1862-1883. Genera Plantarum. 3 Vols. London.
  9. Bor NL. 1940. Flora of Assam. Vol. 5. Gramineae. Government of Assam, Shillong, 480 pp.
  10. Burton ML, Samuelson LJ, Pan S. 2005. Riparian woody plant diversity and forest structure along an urban-rural gradient. Urban Ecosyst 8: 93-106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-005-1421-6
  11. Carbiener R, Schnitzler A. 1990. Evolution of major pattern models and processes of alluvial forest of the Rhine in the rift valley (France/Germany). Vegetatio 88: 115-129. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00044828
  12. Chandrashekara UM, Ramakrishnan PS. 1994. Vegetation and gap dynamics of a tropical wet evergreen forest in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. J Trop Ecol 10: 337-354. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467400008014
  13. Cottam G, Curtis JT. 1956. The use of distance measures in phytosociological sampling. Ecology 37: 451-460. https://doi.org/10.2307/1930167
  14. Curtis JT, McIntosh RP. 1950. The interrelations of certain analytic and synthetic phytosociological characters. Ecology 31: 434-455. https://doi.org/10.2307/1931497
  15. Curtis JT. 1959. The vegetation of Wisconsin: an ordination of plant communities. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisc, 657 pp.
  16. de Graaf NR. 1986. A silvicultural system for Natural regeneration of tropical rain forest in Suriname. Ph.D. thesis. Agricultural University, Wageningen, Netherlands.
  17. Devi LS, Yadava PS. 2006. Floristic diversity assessment and vegetation analysis of tropical semievergreen forest of Manipur, north east India. Trop Ecol 47: 89-98.
  18. Dudgeon D. 1992. Endangered ecosystems: a review of the conservation status of tropical Asian rivers. Hydrobiologia 248: 167-191. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00006146
  19. Dudgeon D. 2000. The ecology of tropical Asian rivers and streams in relation to biodiversity conservation. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 31: 239-263. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.31.1.239
  20. Evariste FF, Bernard-Aloys N, Nole T. 2010 The importance of habitat characteristics for tree diversity in the Mengame Gorilla Reserve (South Cameroun). Int J Biodivers Conserv 2: 155-165.
  21. Ferreira LV, Stohlgren TJ. 1999. Effects of river level fluctuation on plant species richness, diversity, and distribution in a flood-plain forest in Central Amazonia. Oecologia 120: 582-587. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420050893
  22. Fousseni F, Yu ZX, Hai ZX, Kperkouma W, Koffi A. 2011. Floristic diversity in most dry and environmentally disturbed areas of northern Togo. Energy Procedia 11: 2127-2132. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1876-6102(14)00453-6
  23. Gadgil M. 2004. Karnataka state of environment report and action plan biodiversity sector. ENVIS Technical Report No.16. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 117 pp.
  24. Gopal B. 1988. Wetlands: management and conservation in India. Water Quality Bull 13: 3-6.
  25. Gould WA, Walker MD. 1997. Landscape-scale patterns in plant species richness along an arctic river. Can J Bot 75: 1748-1765. https://doi.org/10.1139/b97-889
  26. Guha Bakshi DN. 1984. Flora of Murshidabad District, West Bengal, India. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur, 440 pp.
  27. He F, Legendre P. 2002. Species diversity patterns derived from species-area models. Ecology 83: 1185-1198.
  28. Iqbal K, Bhat JA, Nazir AP, Negi AK. 2012. Structure and composition estimation of plant species around Khoh river of Garhwal Himalaya, India. J Biodivers Environ Sci 2: 1-11.
  29. Johnsingh AJT, Joshua J. 1989. The threatened gallery forest of the river Tambiraparani, Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary, South India. Biol Conserv 47: 273-280. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(89)90070-0
  30. Johst K, Brandl R, Eber S. 2002. Metapopulation persistence indynamics landscapes: the role of dispersal distance. Oikos 98: 263-270. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0706.2002.980208.x
  31. Kadavul K, Parthasarathy N. 1999. Plant biodiversity and conservation of tropical semi-evergreen forests in the Shervarayan hills of Eastern Ghats, India. Biodivers Conser 8: 419-437. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008899824399
  32. Kanjilal UN, Das A, Kanjilal PC, De RN. 1938. Flora of Assam. Vol. 3. Caprifoliaceae to Plantaginaceae. Government of Assam, Shillong, 578 pp.
  33. Kanjilal UN, Kanjilal PC, Das A, Purkayastha C. 1934. Flora of Assam. Vol. 1. Ranunculaceaeto Elaeocarpaceae. Government of Assam, Shillong, 184 pp.
  34. Kanjilal UN, Kanjilal PC, Das A. 1936. Flora of Assam. Vol. 2. Connaraceae to Cornaceae. Government of Assam, Shillong, 409 pp.
  35. Kanjilal UN, Kanjilal PC, De RN, Das A. 1940. Flora of Assam. Vol. 4. Nyctaginaceae to Cycadaceae. Government of Assam, Shillong, 377 pp.
  36. Kent M, Coker P. 1992. Vegetation description and analysis: a practical approach. Belhaven Press, London, 384 pp.
  37. Khan ML, Rai JPN, Tripathi RS. 1987. Population structure of some tree species in disturbed and protected sub-tropical forests of north-east India. Acta Oecol Oec Appl 8: 247-255.
  38. Knight DH. 1975. A phytosociological analysis of species-rich tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Ecol Monogr 45: 259-284. https://doi.org/10.2307/1942424
  39. Korning J, Basley H. 1994. Growth rates and mortality patterns of tropical lowland tree species and the relation to forest structure in Amazonian Ecuador. J Trop For Sci 10: 151-166.
  40. Kumar M, Sharma CM, Rajwar GS. 2004. A study on the community structure and diversity of a sub-tropical forest of Garhwal Himalayas. Indian For 130: 207-214.
  41. Macarthur R. 1955. Fluctuation of animal population, and a measure of community stability. Ecology 36: 533-536. https://doi.org/10.2307/1929601
  42. Mackey RL, Currie DJ. 2001. The diversity-disturbance relationship: is it generally strong and peaked? Ecology 82: 3479-3492.
  43. Majumdar K, Datta BK. 2015. Cachar tropical semi-evergreen forest type of Northeast India: status of species diversity, distribution and population structure. Proc Int Acad Ecol Environ Sci 5: 104-127.
  44. Malanson GP. 1993. Riparian Landscapes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  45. Margalef DR. 1958. Information theory in ecology. Gen Syst 3: 36-71.
  46. Menhinick EF. 1964. A comparison of some species-individuals diversity indices applied to samples of field insects. Ecology 45: 859-861. https://doi.org/10.2307/1934933
  47. Metzger JP, Bernacci LC, Goldenberg R. 1997. Pattern of tree species diversity in riparian forest fragments of different widths (SE Brazil). Plant Ecol 133: 135-152. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009791831294
  48. Mishra BP, Tripathi OP, Laloo RC. 2005. Community characteristics of a climax subtropical humid forest of Meghalaya and population structure of ten important tree species. Trop Ecol 46: 241-251.
  49. Mueller-Dombois D, Ellenberg H. 1974. Aims and Methods of Vegetation Ecology. Wiley, New York, 547 pp.
  50. Naiman RJ, Decamps H, Pollock M. 1993. The role of riparian corridors in maintaining regional biodiversity. Ecol Appl 3: 209-212. https://doi.org/10.2307/1941822
  51. Naiman RJ, Decamps H. 1997. The ecology of interfaces: riparian zones. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 28: 621-658. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.28.1.621
  52. Natta AK. 2000. Tree species diversity assessment in riparian forests using remote sensing, geographical information systems and geostatistics (case study of Toui-Kilibo protected forests in Benin). MS thesis. ITC- Forest Science Division, Enschede, The Netherlands, pp 91.
  53. Neumann M, Starlinger F. 2001. The significance of different indices for stand structure and diversity in forests. For Ecol Manage 145: 91-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(00)00577-6
  54. Newbery DM, Gartlan JS. 1996. A structural analysis of rain forests at Korup and Douala-Edea, Cameroon. Proc Royal Soc Edinb 104B: 177-224.
  55. Newbold JD, Elwood JW, O'Neill RV, Van Winkle W. 1981. Measuring nutrient spiraling in streams. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 38: 860-863. https://doi.org/10.1139/f81-114
  56. Nilsson C. 1991. Conservation Management of Riparian Communities. In: Ecological Principles of Nature Conservation (Hansson L, ed). Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, pp 352-372.
  57. Noss F. 1983. A regional landscape approach to maintain diversity. Bioscience 33: 700-707. https://doi.org/10.2307/1309350
  58. Odum EP. 1971. Fundamentals of Ecology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Saunders, 574 pp.
  59. Oliveira-Filho AT, Vilela EA, Carvalho DA, Gavilanes ML. 1994. Effects of soils and topography on the distribution of tree species in a tropical riverine forest in south-eastern Brazil. J Trop Ecol 10: 483-508. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467400008178
  60. Padalia H, Chauhan N, Porwal MC, Roy PS. 2004. Phytosociological observations on tree species diversity of Andaman Islands. Curr Sci 87: 799-806.
  61. Pande PK, Bisht APS, Sharma SC. 1988. Comparative vegetation analysis of some plantation ecosystems. Indian For 114: 379-388.
  62. Pande PK, Negi JDS, Sharma SC. 1996. Plant Species Diversity and Vegetation Analysis in Moist Temperate Himalayan Forests. Abstracted in First Indian Ecological Congress, New Delhi.
  63. Parthasarathy N, Karthikeyan R. 1997. Plant biodiversity inventory and conservation of two tropical dry evergreen forests on the Coromandel Coast, south India. Biodivers Conserv 6: 1063-1083. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018328016810
  64. Parthasarathy N, Kinhal V, Kumar LP. 1992. Plant species diversity and human impacts in the tropical wet evergreen forests of southern Western Ghats. In Indo-French Workshop on Tropical Forest Ecosystems: Natural Functioning and Anthropogenic Impact. French Institute, Pondicherry.
  65. Pausas JG, Austin MP. 2001. Patterns of plant species richness in relation to different environments: An appraisal. J Veg Sci 12: 153-166. https://doi.org/10.2307/3236601
  66. Pielou EC. 1969. An Introduction to Mathematical Ecology. Wiley-Interscience, New York.
  67. Prain D. 1903. Bengal Plants. Vols. I & II. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.
  68. Preston FW. 1948. The commonness, and rarity, of species. Ecology 29: 254-283. https://doi.org/10.2307/1930989
  69. Rajkumar M, Parthasarathy N. 2008. Tree diversity and structure of Andaman Giant Evergreen Forests, India. Taiwania 53: 356-368.
  70. Ralhan PK, Saxena AK, Singh JS. 1982. Analysis of forest vegetation at and around Nainital in Kumaon Himalaya. Proc Indian Natl Sci Acad 348: 121-137.
  71. Rennolls K, Laumonier Y. 2000. Species diversity structure analysis at two sites in the tropical rain forest of Sumatra. J Trop Ecol 16: 253-270. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467400001395
  72. Renofalt BM, Jansson R, Nilsson C. 2005. Spatial patterns of plant invasiveness in a riparian corridor. Landsc Ecol 20: 165-176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-004-2262-z
  73. Risser PG, Rice EL. 1971. Diversity in tree species in Oklahoma upland forests. Ecology 52: 876-880. https://doi.org/10.2307/1936036
  74. Ritcher BD, Baumgartner JV, Wigington R, Braun DP. 1997. How much water does a river need? Freshw Biol 37: 231-249. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2427.1997.00153.x
  75. Sahu SC, Dhal NK, Mohanty RC. 2012. Tree species diversity, distribution and population structure in a tropical dry deciduous forest of Malyagiri hill ranges, Eastern Ghats, India. Trop Ecol 53: 163-168.
  76. Sarkar M, Devi A. 2014. Assessment of diversity, population structure and regeneration status of tree species in Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, Northeast India. Trop Plant Res 1: 26-36.
  77. Saxena AK, Singh JS. 1984. Tree population structure of certain Himalayan forest associations and implications concerning their future composition. Vegetatio 58: 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00044928
  78. Shannon CE, Wiener W. 1963. The Mathematical Theory of Communities. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 125 pp.
  79. Simpson EH. 1949. Measurement of diversity. Nature (London) 163: 688. https://doi.org/10.1038/163688a0
  80. Singhal RM, Rawat VRS, Kumar P, Sharma SD, Singh HB. 1986. Vegetation analysis of woody species of some forest of chakarta Himalaya, India. Indian For 112: 819-823.
  81. Singhal RM, Soni S. 1989. Quantitative ecological analysis of some woody species of Mussoorie Himalayas (UP). Indian For 115: 327-336.
  82. Smakhtin V, Arunachalam M, Behera S, Chatterjee A, Das S, Gautam P, Joshi GD, Sivaramakrishnan KG, Unni KS. 2007. Developing Procedures for Assessment of Ecological Status of Indian River Basins in the Context of Environmental Water Requirements. Research report 114. International Water Management Institute, Colombo, 34 pp.
  83. Sorensen T. 1948. A method of establishing groups of amplitude in plant society based on similarity of species content. Biol Skr 5: 1-34.
  84. Sreedharan TP. 2005. A Study on the Status of Valapattanam River with Special Reference to Its Ecology and Socio-Cultural Aspects. Kerala Research Programme on Local Level Development, Thiruvananthapuram.
  85. Sukumar R, Dattaraja HS, Suresh HS, Radhakrishnan J, Vasudeva R, Nirmala S, Joshi NV. 1992. Long-term monitoring of vegetation in a tropical deciduous forest in Mudumalai, southern India. Curr Sci 62: 608-616.
  86. Sunil C, Somashekar RK, Nagaraja BC. 2016. Diversity and composition of riparian vegetation across forest and agro-ecosystem landscapes of river Cauvery, southern India. Trop Ecol 57: 343-354.
  87. Swamy PS, Sundarapandian SM, Chandrasekar P, Chandrasekaran S. 2000. Plant species diversity and tree population structure of a humid tropical forest in Tamil Nadu, India. Biodivers Conser 9: 1643-1669. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026511812878
  88. Tabacchi E, Planty-Tabacchi AM, Decamps O. 1990. Continuity and discontinuity of the riparian vegetation along a fluvial corridor. Landsc Ecol 5: 9-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00153800
  89. Tchouto MGP, De Boer WF, De Wilde JJFE, Van der Maesen LJG. 2006. Diversity patterns in the flora of the Campo-Ma'an rain forest, Cameroon: Do tree species tell it all? Biodivers Conserv 15: 1353-1374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-005-5394-9
  90. Tynsong H, Tiwari BK. 2011. Diversity and population characteristics of woody species in natural forests and arecanut agro-forests of south Meghalaya, Noertheast India. Trop Ecol 52: 243-252.
  91. Vannotte RL, Minshall GW, Cummins KW, Sedell JR, Cushing CE. 1980. The river continuum concept. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 37: 130-137. https://doi.org/10.1139/f80-017
  92. Varghese VM. 2015. Comparison of riparian species diversity between the main river channel and subwatersheds of Meenachil River basin, Kerala, Southern India. Braz J Bot 38: 81-98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-014-0068-z
  93. Visalakshi N. 1995. Vegetation analysis of two tropical dry evergreen forest in southern India. Trop Ecol 36: 117-127.
  94. Ward JV, Tockner K, Schiemer F. 1999. Biodiversity of floodplain river ecosystems: ecotones and connectivity. Regul Rivers Res Manag 15: 125-139. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1646(199901/06)15:1/3<125::AID-RRR523>3.0.CO;2-E
  95. Whittaker RH, Niering WA. 1965. Vegetation of the Santa Catalina mountains, Arizona: a gradient analysis of the south slope. Ecology 46: 429-452. https://doi.org/10.2307/1934875
  96. Whittaker RH. 1965. Dominance and diversity in land plant communities: numerical relations of species express the importance of competition in community function and evolution. Science 147: 250-260. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.147.3655.250
  97. Whittaker RH. 1969. Evolution of diversity in plant communities. Brookhaven Symp Biol 22: 178-196.
  98. Whittaker RH. 1970. Communities and Ecosystems. Macmillan, New York, 162 pp.
  99. Whittaker RH. 1977. Evolution of species diversity in land communities. In: Evolutionary Biology Vol. 10 (Hecht MK, Steere WC, Wallace B, eds). Plenum Press, New York, pp 1-67.
  100. Wyant JG, Ellis JE. 1990. Compositional patterns of riparian woodlands in the Rift Valley of Northern Kenya. Vegetatio 89: 23-37. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00134432
  101. Yang Z, Xu S, Ma X, Wang S. 2008. Characterization and acetylation behavior of bamboo pulp. Wood Sci Technol 42: 621-632. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-008-0194-5