Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Successional Pattern and Plant Species Diversity in Terai-Bhabher Landscape in North-Central Uttar Pradesh, India


Affiliations
1 Department of Botany, Arya Mahila (P.G.) College, Shahjahanpur (U.P.) - 242001, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


The vegetation of study area is broadly divided into four physiognomic units viz. forest, secondary forest, grasslands and artificial vegetation. Shannon's diversity index, species richness and species composition of the vegetation of study area has been worked out. A total of 944 plant species belonging to 510 genera and 130 families are reported from the study area. The diversity of the study area is 4.292. Plant species diversity in different concrete plant communities has also been determined. The species diversity of total forested area is 4.115. Among different forest stands sal forest exhibit maximum species diversity (H' = 3.530). The grasslands as a whole showed high diversity (H'=4.198) with maximum contribution of erect annual herbs. Mesic grassland show maximum species diversity (H' = 3.907) among different grassland communities. Shrubs contribute maximum to the species diversity in degenerated forest. Climbers contribute very less to the species diversity of all the communities. The study area harbours some of the rare and threatened species needing effective conservation measures. An attempt has been made to deduce the successional pattern and affinities among different plant communities.

Keywords

Conservation, Landscape, Plant Communities, Plant Species Diversity, Species Composition, Species Richness, Succession Pattern
Font Size

User
About The Author

V.K. Misra
Department of Botany, Arya Mahila (P.G.) College, Shahjahanpur (U.P.) - 242001
India


Subscription Login to verify subscription
Notifications

  • Agni, T., Pandit, A., Pant, K. and Tewari, A. (2000). Analysis of tree vegetation in the Tarai-Bhabhar tract of Kumaun Central Himalaya. Ind. J. of Forestry, 23: 252-261.
  • Archer, S. (1995). Herbivore mediation of grass-woody plant interactions. Tropical Grasslands, 29: 218-235.
  • Arunachalam, A. (2002). Species diversity in two different forest types of Western Ghats, India. Ann. of Forestry, 10: 204-213.
  • Belsky, A.J. (1992). Effects of grazing, competition, disturbance and fires on species composition and diversity in grassland communities. Journal of Vegetation Science, 3: 187-200.
  • Bhat, D.M., Naik, M.B., Patagar, S.G., Hegde, T., Kanade, Y.G., Hegde, N., Shastri, M., Shetti, D.M. and Furtado, R.M. (2000). Forest dynamics in tropical rain forests of Uttar Kannada district in Western Ghats, India. Current Science, 79: 975-985.
  • Bradshaw, H.W.R., Wolf, R. and Melier, P.F. (2005). Long term succession in a Danish temperate deciduous forest. Ecography, 28 (2): 157-164.
  • Brown, K. (1997). Plaintales from the grasslands: extraction, value and utilization of biomass in Royal Bardia National Park, Nepal. Biodiversity and Conservation, 6: 59-74.
  • Champion, H.G. and Seth, S.K. (1968). General Silviculture for India. Publication Branch, Government of India, Delhi.
  • Chauhan, D.S., Dhanai, C.S., Singh, B., Chauhan, S., Todaria, N.P. and Khalid, M.A. (2008). Regeneration and tree diversity in natural and planted forests in a Terai-Bhabhar forest in Katarniaghat Wildlife sanctuary, India. Tropical Ecology, 49 (1): 53-67.
  • Clements, F.E. (1928). Plant Succession and Indicator. H.W. Wilson Co., New York.
  • Dabadghao, P.M. and Shankarnarayan, K.A. (1973). The Grass cover of India. ICAR, New Delhi.
  • Duthie, J.F. (1903-1929). Flora of Upper Gangetic Plain and of the Adjacent Siwalik and Sub-Himalayan tracts. Calcutta. Repr. ed. 1973.
  • Gupta, O.P. and Shukla, R.P. (1991). The composition and dynamics of associated plant communities of sal plantations. Tropical Ecology, 32: 296-309.
  • Harper, J.L. and White, J. (1974). The demography of plants. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 5: 419-463.
  • Hubbell, S.P. (1979). Tree dispersion, abundance and diversity in a tropical dry forest. Science, 203: 1299-1309.
  • Kanjilal, P.C. (1933). Forest flora of Pilibhit, Oudh, Gorakhpur and Bundelkhand, Allahabad.
  • Karlowski, U. (2006). Afromontane old-field vegetation: Scondary succession and the return of indigenous species. African Journal of Ecology, 44 (2): 264-272.
  • Kramer, F. (1933). De natuurlijke verjonging in het Gaenoeng Gedeh complex. Tectona, 25:156-185.
  • Lehmkuhl, J.F. (1989). The Ecology of South Asian Tall Grassland Community. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
  • Lwanga, J.S. (2003). Forest succession in Kibale National Park, Uganda: implications for forest restoration and management. African Journal of Ecology, 41 (1): 9-22.
  • Magurran, A.E. (1988). Ecological diversity and its Measurement. London, Syndney Croom Helm.
  • Mathur, P.K., Kumar, H. and Lehmkuhl, J.F. (2003). Terai grasslands-diversity, management and conservation perspectives. Envis Bulletin: Grasslands, Ecosystems and Agro forestry, 1: 1-28.
  • Meher-Homji, V.M. (1973). A phytosociological study of Albizzia amoora Boir. community of India. Phytocoenologica, 1:114-129.
  • Misra, R. (1968). Ecology Work-Book. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi.
  • Mitchell, F.J.G. and Cole, E. (1998). Reconstruction of long-term successional dynamics of temperate woodland in Bialowieza Forest, Poland. Journal of Ecology, 86(6): 1042-1059.
  • Mueller-Dombois, D. and Ellenberg, H.(1974). Aims and Methods of vegetation Ecology. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
  • Nyssen, J., Temesgen, H., Lemenih, M., Zenebe, A., Kindu, M. and Haile, M. (2007). Ecological Succession, Land use Changes and Soil organic C stock in a lake Retreat area (Main Ethiopian Rift Valley).pp. B23C-1493. In: Proceeding of American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting.
  • Odum, E.P. (1960). Organic production and turnover in old-field succession. Ecology, 41: 34-49.
  • Pandey, S.K. and Shukla, R.P. (1999). Plant diversity and community patterns along the disturbance gradient in plantation forests of sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.). Current Science, 77: 814-818.
  • Pandey, S.K. and Shukla, R.P. (2001). Regeneration strategy and plant diversity status in degraded sal forest. Current Science, 81: 95-102.
  • Pandey, S.K. and Shukla, R.P. (2003). Plant diversity in managed sal (Shorea robusta Garetn.) forests of Gorakhpur, India: species composition, regeneration, and conservation. Biodiversity and Conservation, 12: 2295-2319.
  • Pandey, S.K. and Shukla, R.P. (2005). Plant community and diversity pattern within the forested landscape of north-eastern U.P. Indian Forester, 131: 1217-1226.
  • Parthasarathy, N. and Sethi, P. (1997). Tree and liana species diversity and population structure in tropical dry evergreen forest in south India. Tropical Ecology, 38: 19-30.
  • Patrica, B., Emily, L., Gerardo, S., Christina, S. and Angeles, I. (2002). Patterns of beta-diversity in a Mexican tropical dry forest. J. Veg. Science, 13: 145-158.
  • Ralhan, P.K., Saxena, A.K. and Singh, J.S. (1982). Analysis of forest vegetation at and around Nainital in Kumaun Himalaya. Proceedings of Indian National Science Academy, 48: 121-137.
  • Ramakrishnan, P.S. (1992). Shifting Agriculture and Sustainable Development: An inter-disciplinary study from north-eastern India. Vol. 10. Parthenon Publishing, UNESCO, Paris.
  • Rosenzweig, M.L. (1999). Heeding the warning in biodiversity basic law. Science, 284: 276-277.
  • Schulz, J.P. (1960). Ecological studies on the rain forest of northern Surinam. In: The vegetation of Surinam. Vol. 2. North-Halland, Amsterdam.
  • Seetharam, Y.N., Haleshi, C. and Vijay. (2000). Structure and floristic composition of a dry deciduous forest of Bidar district, Karnataka. Ind. J. forestry, 23: 241-247.
  • Sharma, S.C. (1984). Floristic and Phytosociological studies on the vegetation of Shahjahanpur district. Ph.D. Thesis, M.J.P. Rohilkhand University, Bareilly.
  • Shukla, R.P. (2009). Plant species diversity across Terai landscape in north-eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Tropical Ecology, 50 (1): 111-123.
  • Shukla, R.P. and Pandey, S.K. (2000). Plant diversity and community features of forested landscape adjacent to foot-hills of central Himalayas. pp. 15-37. In: Natural Resources, Conservation and Management for Mountain Development (Tiwari, S.C. and Dabrals, P.P. Eds.). International Book distributor, Dehradun.
  • Singh, J. (1987). Studies on successional pattern around Idukki Hydel project in Kerala. Ind. J. forestry, 10 (1): 31-37.
  • Singh, J.S. and Joshi, M.C. (1979). Primary Production. pp. 197-218. In: (ed.) Grassland Ecosystems of the world (R.T. Coupland). IBP. Cambridge University Press, London.
  • Singh, J.S. and Singh, S.P. (1987). Forest vegetation of the Himalaya. Botanical Review, 53: 80-92.
  • Singh, J.S. and Singh, S.P. (1992). Forests of Himalaya. Gyanodaya Prakashan.
  • Singh, K.K. (1997). Flora of Dudhwa National Park (Kheri distt., U.P.). Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun.
  • Sukumar, R., Suresh, H.S., Dattaraja, H.S. and Joshi, N.V. (1997). pp. 529-540. In: Forest Diversity Research, monitoring and Modeling: Conceptual Background and old world case studies (Dallmeier, F. and Comiskey, J.A. Eds.). vol.1. Parthenon Publishing.
  • Tripathi, S.L. and Shukla, R.P. (2007). Effect of clipping and grazing on the various vegetational parameters of grassland communities of Gorakhpur. Tropical Ecology, 48: 61-70.
  • Uma Shankar. (2001). A case of high tree diversity in a sal (Shorea robusa) dominated lowland forest of Eastern Himalaya: Floristic composition, regeneration and conservation. Current science, 81: 776-786.
  • Walker, R. (1992). Biodiversity and Ecological redundancy. Conservation Biology, 6: 18-23.
  • Whitmore, T.C. (1975). Tropical Rain forests of the far East. Clarenden Press. Oxford.

Abstract Views: 397

PDF Views: 0




  • Successional Pattern and Plant Species Diversity in Terai-Bhabher Landscape in North-Central Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract Views: 397  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

V.K. Misra
Department of Botany, Arya Mahila (P.G.) College, Shahjahanpur (U.P.) - 242001, India

Abstract


The vegetation of study area is broadly divided into four physiognomic units viz. forest, secondary forest, grasslands and artificial vegetation. Shannon's diversity index, species richness and species composition of the vegetation of study area has been worked out. A total of 944 plant species belonging to 510 genera and 130 families are reported from the study area. The diversity of the study area is 4.292. Plant species diversity in different concrete plant communities has also been determined. The species diversity of total forested area is 4.115. Among different forest stands sal forest exhibit maximum species diversity (H' = 3.530). The grasslands as a whole showed high diversity (H'=4.198) with maximum contribution of erect annual herbs. Mesic grassland show maximum species diversity (H' = 3.907) among different grassland communities. Shrubs contribute maximum to the species diversity in degenerated forest. Climbers contribute very less to the species diversity of all the communities. The study area harbours some of the rare and threatened species needing effective conservation measures. An attempt has been made to deduce the successional pattern and affinities among different plant communities.

Keywords


Conservation, Landscape, Plant Communities, Plant Species Diversity, Species Composition, Species Richness, Succession Pattern

References