Quantitative analysis, distributional pattern and species diversity of woody plant species of Lamberi Forest Range, Rajouri, J&K, India

Abstract

Quantitative analysis, distributional pattern and species diversity of woody plant species of Lamberi Range of Rajouri Forest division, J&K, has been carried out by laying 50 quadrats (10m X 10m size) for trees and 100 quadrats (5m X 5m size) for shrubs. Various phytosociological parameters like frequency, density, abundance, importance value index IVI and diversity indices for trees and shrubs has been used to reveal the plant community structure of the area. The abundance to frequency ratio (A/F) for different species was determined to assess the distribution pattern of the species (regular <0.025, random 0.025-0.05 and contagious >0.05) which indicated the contagious distribution for all the species. Survey of the area revealed presence of 63 woody plant species from the study area comprising of 43 trees and 20 shrubs. Pinus roxburghii (IVI 49.7, Abundance 81.1) and Carissa opaca (IVI 81.12 abundance 7.05) have been recorded as the dominant tree and shrub, respectively, of the area. The computation of diversity indices showed that species richness and evenness i.e Shannon-Weiner's, Margalef's and Menhinick's remained high for trees and low for shrubs. Simpson's index of dominance was also high for trees. Species which needs priorities for conservation and protection and also required to be monitored have also been highlighted.

Floristic composition, life history traits and phytogeographic distribution of forest vegetation in the Western Himalaya

“…The present results agreed with Khan et al (2015), who found that a large diversity of microhabitats was favorable to tree species in the region. The findings of Sharma and Raina (2018) from other Himalayan forests further support these findings. Herbaceous species (111) were the dominant habit similar to other areas of the Northwestern Himalaya (Dar and Sundarapandian, 2016;Rahman et al, 2019b;Haq et al, 2021a;Nafeesa et al, 2021).…”

Tree species diversity in Kalidhar forest of western Shiwaliks, Jammu, JK (UT)

“…The Important Value Index (IVI) for Pinus roxburghii was observed (Table 1) to be highest (44.63) in the forest area followed closely by Mallotus philippensis (41.78). It has also been reported by Kumar (2010), Dangwal et al (2012) and Sharma and Raina (2018) that the Pinus roxburghii and Mallotus philippensis are the dominant or co-dominant tree species.…”

“…Varied topographical features of Himalayan region supports unique and rich biodiversity elements ranging from genes and ecosystems. Significant work in the field of phytosociology and phytodiversity has also been done in the past few decades in the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir by many workers including Sharma et al (2008); Dangwal et al (2012); Sharma and Raina (2013), Ahmed and Sharma (2014), Ghazal (2015), Sharma and Raina (2018). Sub tropical forest of Kalidhar region rich in floral wealth lie in the Shiwaliks hills of Jammu district in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.…”

Floristic diversity and ecological characteristics of Northeastern Gaza strip, Palestine

“…There are specific ecological characteristics that distinguish any ecosystem, such as vegetative growth, composition, and structure. These characteristics show ecosystem differences and ecological changes that arise due to human activities (Jyoti et al 2014;Sharma et al 2014;Ali-Shtayeh & Jamous 2018). Recent studies have proven that the extinction of many plant species and the threats faced by biodiversity is mainly attributed to the anthropogenic activities, in addition to vulnerability of habitats, pollution, overexploitation, and global climatic change (Sharma et al 2014;Ali-Shtayeh and Jamous 2018;Ford et al 2021;Al Kafy et al 2022;Qumsiyeh and Al-Sheikh 2023).…”