A Comparative Study on Community Structure and Regeneration Status of Tree Species in Urban Forests of Delhi, India (original) (raw)
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Tree species composition and regeneration status of shitalpur forest beat
Biodiversity erosion particularly in developing countries is a matter of great concern to the global ecological community. Species composition and regeneration indicate the health of forest. This study explored tree species composition and regeneration of natural hill forest of Shitalpur under Chittagong North Forest Division through 27 sample plots of 20 m × 20 m for trees and 2 m × 2 m for regeneration. A total of 47 tree species belonging to 29 families and 17 regenerating species belonging to 15 families were recorded. The tree stem density, basal area, and wood volume were 0.49 m 2 /ha, 1425 stem/ha, and 189.9 m 3 /ha, respectively. Mean regeneration was significantly higher in bottom hill (14374 seedlings/ha) compared to top hill (9671 seedlings/ha). Toona ciliata was highest (4444 seedlings/ha) at the bottom hill compared to other hill positions. The result shows that only 36% of the tree species (17 out of 47) are regenerating in the study area, meaning majority of the tree species (64%) are not getting favorable conditions to regenerate. This might be due to absence of mature tree species as a result of overexploitation by local people. The findings may help in monitoring the species composition changes over time and adopting specific conservation programs for Shitalpur Forest.
Tropical Ecology, 2008
We compared regeneration, tree diversity and floristic diversity of natural and planted tropical deciduous forests (dominated by Shorea robusta and Tectona grandis; Acacia catechu and Syzygium cumini, respectively) in western Uttar Pradesh, India. Species diversity (70 species in natural and 59 species in planted forests) as well as species evenness was higher in natural forests than in planted forests. Natural forest sites also had higher mature tree, pole, sapling and seedling densities compared with planted forests. In spite of differences in diversity, natural and planted forests did not differ strongly in species composition, fifty-six species occurred in both sites. This may reflect similar soil types but differences in soil moisture, organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and soil pH in natural and planted forests. Dominant families in both forest types are Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Verbenaceae, Rubiaceae and Caesalpiniaceae (5 species each), followed by Moraceae, Mimosaceae and Combretaceae. Of the 126 species found in both sites, 32.5% showed good regeneration, 19.8% fair, 24.6% poor and 11.1% lacked regeneration. The remaining 11.9% of species were present as seedlings but not as adult individuals. Good quality timber species are not regenerating, with the exception of Shorea robusta, although mortality at seedling stage of this species is high. In all, our results suggest that species richness and diversity differed between natural forest and planted forest and regeneration of some important tree species also varied in natural and planted forests because of variation in their microclimate and edaphic characteristics. Moreover, these conditions indicate succession pattern and a potential for forestry plantations in dry forests. This study will help in the formulation of effective forest management and conservation strategies.
Urban Tree Diversity of Honnavara, Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka, India
International Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research, 2014
Urban trees serve many useful functions such as climate change mitigation by carbon sequestration, air quality improvement by air pollution abatement, biodiversity conservation and source of ecosystem goods to urban inhabitants. They also have aesthetic, socio-religious and recreational value in urban contexts. In spite of the importance, they have not received much scientific attention. This paper investigates the diversity and density of tree species growing both
Population Structure of Vegetation in Urban Environment of Sarguja , Chhattisgarh , India
2019
The present study was conducted in different directions(east, west, north and south) of Ambikapur to explore the urban vegetation in terms of species status, population structure and regeneration potential of species. A total of 10 tree species distributed into 6 families were recorded in east direction, 9 tree species with 4 families in west direction, 12 tree species comprised of 9 families in north direction, and 11 tree species belonging to 8 families were recorded in south direction. The tree density ranged between 170-240 trees/ha across the site being highest under north direction and least at east direction. The rarity and commonness of the species in urban setup reflected that majority of the species are rare in occurrence in different stratum while the intermediate, moderately high and common (high frequency) species class was almost negligible in the entire site in most of the vegetation stratum. Population structure of the species also revealed the younger vegetation sta...
Database on occurrence and distribution of floral species provides useful information for prioritizing sites in terms of biodiversity values and management. The effect of human disturbances on species diversity is an issue that has engaged the attention of ecologist for last several decades both from theoretical and applied standpoints. Present study was conducted to examine effect of human disturbance in forest species composition, diversity and regeneration in four tropical forests in Barak Valley, Assam. A total of 137 species were recorded in this study. Cynometra polyandra was dominant species in both the undisturbed forests (IVI values 20.1 and 27.8, respectively in Innerline undisturbed reserve forest (IRUF) and Barak undisturbed reserve forest (BRUF). In Inner line disturbed reserve forest (IRDF) Tetrameles nudiflora (IVI 36.8) and Barak disturbed reserve forest (BRDF) Artocarpus chama (IVI 19.9) were dominant the species. The results revealed that in undisturbed forest, 42-46% of the quadrats had less than 5 species while in the disturbed forest stand it is seen than 72 to 86% plots had less than 5 species. The Shannon Weaver diversity index (H) was higher in undisturbed forests (1.69 and 1.77, respectively in IRUF and BRUF) compared to disturbed forests (1.46 in IRDF and 1.52 in BRDF). The basal area and tree density in undisturbed forest stands found higher than that of disturbed forest stand. Majority of the species (91.84% to 95.65%) were contagiously distributed in all four forest stand. All the forests of the present study showed reversed J-shaped density distribution curves. 31-45% of total species were recorded in sapling stage. The density and basal area of saplings were higher in undisturbed forests than that of disturbed forests. Dominance distribution curves for all the sites fit the geometric series which confirms to the niche preemption hypothesis.
Tree Diversity and Tree Community Composition in Northern Part of Megacity Bengaluru, India
Sustainability
Trees are natural capital assets, especially for cities, as they provide immense environmental benefits and improve urban biodiversity and ecology. However, urbanization has largely destroyed the original native ecosystems and has caused a homogenization where frequently native species are replaced by non-native species. When attempting to understand the role of trees in urban settings, it is important to generate science-based data on the spatial distribution of trees, their species composition and tree species diversity as a function of the degree of urbanization. Such information may specifically inform the planning of effective long-term management of trees across urban and rural gradients. A total of 23 of 1 ha each were surveyed along a Northern research transect laid out along the urban–rural gradient of the metropolitan area of Bengaluru, India. Plots were randomly selected from the stratum “settlement areas”, where WorldView-3 imagery supported both stratification and plot ...
Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 2019
The objective of this study was to describe and compare the community structure and natural regeneration status of tree species in urban forests within industrial estates. This study was conducted in two types of forests, Bontang urban forests within industrial area and conservation forests in the Industrial buffer zone area. At each forest location, a transect was made, and along the transect, a plot of size 20 x 20 meters was made with a distance between plots of 100 meters. In each plot, several subplots were made with size of 5m x 5m for sapling level, and 2m x 2m for seedling level. The results of this study showed that in urban forest areas there were 32 tree-level species, 21 sapling species and 15 seedling species, belonging of 49 genera and 39 families. The number of species, species richness, species diversity, evenness of sapling and tree-level species was more in urban forests than in conservation forest, and the condition was vice versa for seedling level. The value of species dominance index in conservation forest was greater than urban forest, and conversely, the value of individual density/ha for tree-level was 562.50 individuals/ha, sapling level was 7,933 ind./Ha and for seeding level 80,625 ind./ha. Of the 53 urban forest species, 28 species (52.83%) were in no regeneration category, 3 species (5.66%) were in poor regeneration category, and 22 species (41.50%) were in the new species category. In contrast, among 76 species of the conservation forests, 8 species (10.52%) showed good regeneration status, 13 species (17.10%) showed poor status and 55 species (72.36%) showed no regeneration status. From the results, it can be concluded that the Bontang urban forest in the industrial area shows no regeneration status and the emergence of new species. In the context of conservation, it is recommended to implement special silvicultural techniques to maintain the biodiversity of this urban forest.
Ecological benefits of urban forestry: The case of Kerwa Forest Area (KFA), Bhopal, India
Applied Geography, 2009
In developing countries like India, migration of people from rural to urban areas is responsible for ever expanding urban boundaries. This trend is exerting significant pressure on unprotected natural forests located near urban centers. This paper highlights the case of Kerwa Forest Area (KFA), located at about 10 km from the city of Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh state. The objectives of this study are to quantify the extent of disturbance faced and ecosystem services provided by the KFA. Suitable spatial technologies and forest sampling techniques have been used to achieve the objectives of the study. It was found that the KFA is currently facing severe anthropogenic pressure. Parts of the KFA, located close to the settlements, were found more disturbed than the parts which were located far from the settlements. In spite of disturbances, KFA is a habitat for many threatened and endangered plant, animal, and bird species. KFA also plays a critical role of a carbon sink with a total storage of about 19.5 thousand tons of aboveground carbon. Immediate precautionary measures are required to prevent further degradation of the KFA for ensuring better environmental quality for the residents of Bhopal city in the future.
URBAN TREE DIVERSITY OF KARWAR, KARNATAKA, INDIA
International Journal of Engineering, Science and Mathematics, 2012
Urban trees serve many useful functions such as climate change mitigation by carbon sequestration, air quality improvement by air pollution abatement, biodiversity conservation and source of ecosystem goods to urban inhabitants. They also have aesthetic, socio-religious and recreational value in urban contexts. In spite of the importance, they have not received much scientific attention. This paper investigates the diversity and density of tree species growing both within the built environment as well as roadside avenues in the seaside town of Karwar which is the administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. The total area of the town is 27.15 km 2 and population (2001 census) is 62,973.
Differences in tree species diversity along the rural-urban gradient in Bengaluru, India
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2019
Trees are invaluable and multifunctional elements of many land cover types. In urban areas trees serve particularly important ecological and environmental functions. In order to manage the multi-functionality of trees as efficiently as possible, biophysical information on the presence and distribution of species is helpful, as is general information about their provenance, utilization and services. This study examined the tree species diversity along the rural-urban gradient in the rapidly expanding megacity of Bengaluru, India, where the focus was on density and species composition. A number of 23 observation plots of 1-ha each in built-up environments were established within a 50 × 5 km transect running from the city center to the rural surroundings. Tree species diversity decreased with increasing distance to the city center due to the abundance of non-native ornamental tree species in the urban areas. The percentage of native species was about the same along the gradient (around 35% in urban, transition and rural areas). Our study offers a comprehensive description of tree species diversity along the rural-urban gradient in Bengaluru, which may bear connections, for example, to bird and insect diversity, and which may also be of interest and relevant for city planners and administrators as well as for researchers and the general public. Moreover, our study does adds to the relatively limited information available on this topic in South Asia and suggests a design that is transferable to other urban areas. In addition, we hope to raise a critical awareness that contributes to protecting and developing the unique tree cover in Bengaluru.