Phenology of high-altitude plants of Kumaun in Central Himalaya,India

The various developmental stages of 184 species of high-altitude plants were studied during 1987 and 1988 in the Pindari glacial moraine area of Kumaun Himalaya in the Central Himalaya. The initiation of growth was synchronised with the beginning of the spring/or summer temperature rise and snowmelt. In this high-altitude zone, the peaks of various phenophases succeeded one after another over about 4 months from early June to October. It is suggested that the plants complete various growth cycles within a very short period of favourable conditions to ensure the survival of their progeny.     

Species Composition and Habitat Preference of Watermolds in the Nainital District of Kumaun Himalaya,India

A total of thirty two species of watermolds have been identified from the entire study area. Of these, 22 % species were restricted to water, 44 % to soil and 34 % occurred in water and soil both. The maximum number of species were found during rainy season in both the ecosystems. Pythium s pp. were dominant in terrestrial ecosystem whereas Pythium s pp. and Saprolegnia spp. were dominant in water system. There were two clusters indicative of presence of two distinct communities in both the systems.     

Compositional and structural features of certain tree stands along an elevational gradient in Central Himalaya

Forests of an elevational transect in the central Himalayan region were studied regarding their tree species composition and structural features. In spite of many differences in compositional and structural features in different forest stands, the arrangement of stands in the ordinations based separately on species composition and structural features exhibit many similarities. Disturbances such as landslides and forest fires play the most important role in the distributor of particular species.     

An analysis of altitudinal behavior of tree species in Subansiri district,Eastern Himalaya

Plant species diversity and endemism demonstrate a definite trend along altitude. We analyzed the (i) pattern of tree diversity and its endemic subset (ii) frequency distribution of altitudinal range and (iii) upper & lower distributional limits of each tree species along altitudinal gradients in eastern Himalaya. The study was conducted in Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. Data on the tree species (cbh ≥ 15 cm) were gathered every 200 m steps between 200 m and 2200 m gradients. Tree diversity demonstrated a greater variation along the gradients. A total of 336 species (of which 26 are endemic) were recorded belonging to 185 genera and 78 families. The alpha diversity demonstrated a decreasing pattern with two maxima (i.e., elevational peaks) along the gradients; one in 601–1000 m and the other in 1601–1800 m, corresponding to transition zones between tropical-subtropical and subtropical-temperate forests. Pattern diversity revealed a narrow range along the gradients. Frequency of altitudinal range was distributed between 1 and 41. Only one species (Altingia excelsa) showed widest amplitude, occurring over the entire range. Highest level of species turnover was found in 400–600 m step at lower elevational limit whereas for upper elevational limit, the highest turn over was recorded between 800 and 1000 m. Tree diversity decreased and its endemic subset increased along the gradients. Two maximas in tree diversity pattern correspond to forest transition zones with subtropical-temperate transition is narrower than tropical-subtropical. The pattern observed here could be attributed to varied microclimates or environmental heterogeneity. If altitudinal amplitude of a species is considered as an aspect of its niche breadth, it is clear from these results that niche breadth in these organisms is in fact independent of the diversity of the assemblage in which they occur. This analysis calls for detailed floristic studies to determine the breadth of changes between adjacent forest types and details of local species richness in high diversity areas.     

The effect of a seed source on primary succession in a forest ecosystem

An analysis of the Relative Importance Value Index (RIVI) of later successional tree species and the Shannon diversity indexH of all tree and shrub species was undertaken on previously mined sites within a sparsely forested area in central Florida, USA. A comparative analysis of the distance to a seed source and the age of a site suggested that the distance to a seed source was the best predictor (R ²=0.85) of the regeneration of the later successional species and a good predictor of species diversity. Both theRIVI of the later successional species and the diversity index decreased with the distance from the seed source. The lack of a seed source containing climax species resulted in arrested succession at some sites. It is suggested that biological information is the causative means of succession and the dispersal of this information entails spatial dependency while its introduction and development are time dependent processes.Research was part of a project of the Center for Wetlands, University of Florida, Gainesville under contract with the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research. Interactions of Wetlands with Phosphate Mining, H. T. Odum and G. R. Best, principal investigators. B. T. Rushton, J. Butner, G. R. Best, R. S. Schnoes and S. R. Humphrey are thanked for the use of their data.     

A phytosociological analysis of woody species in forest communities of a part of Kumaun Himalaya

This paper reports on a detailed phytosociological analysis of forests in the NW catchment of the Gola River in Kumaun Himalaya, 29°19–29°27N and 79°32–79°42E. Fourteen sites and 56 stands at elevations ranging from 1200 to 2523 m and covering the following five forest types were investigated: Pinus roxburghii, mixed, Quercus leucotrichophora, Q. lanuginosa, and Q. floribunda. The basal cover of the forests differed according to slope position and aspect. The three oak forests had more basal cover than the other two, and Q. lanuginosa had the most. The performance of individual tree and shrub species and the number of saplings and seedlings differed according to slope position and aspect. The mixed forest had the greatest tree diversity, and among the others diversity increased with increasing basal cover. The diversity of trees, saplings, and herb layer was greatest on aspects with intermediate temperature and moisture conditions; whereas that of shrubs and seedlings increased towards the cooler (and wetter) and warmer (and drier) exposures. There was a positive relation between the diversity of shrubs plus seedlings and trees plus saplings in P. roxburghii and mixed forests; whereas this relationship was inverse in the three oak forests. In general, the dominance-diversity curves for the tree layer followed a geometric series conforming to the niche pre-emption situation in communities of low diversity. Among the forests, the regeneration was best in Q. lanuginosa and worst in Q. leucotrichophora.Nomenclature follows: Osmaston (1926).Finacial support from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi and the Indian Space Research Organisation, Banglore is gratefully acknowledged.     

Anthropogenic disturbances and plant biodiversity in forests of Uttaranchal,central Himalaya

Eight forest types varying in disturbance frequencies were identified along an elevational gradient in Uttaranchal, central Himalaya. Low elevation forests were close to human habitation and had high disturbance frequency, while high elevation forests were situated far from the human habitation and had low disturbance. The dominant tree species at low elevation were Pinus roxburghii and Quercus leucotrichophora, while Q. floribunda and Q. semecarpifolia dominated the high elevation forests. Pyracantha crenulata was the shrub present in all the forests except in Q. semecarpifolia forest and Anaphalis contorta, a herb species, was present in all the forests. Disturbance decreased the dominance of single species and increased the plant biodiversity by mixing species of different successional status. Species richness and diversity for all the vegetation layers were higher in low elevation–high disturbance forests. Mean tree density decreased from high to moderate and increased in low disturbance. The shrub density decreased from high to low disturbance while the reverse occured for herbs. High proportion of early successional species in disturbed forests indicated that disturbance induces succession. The mean number of young individuals increasing from high to low disturbance indicates that disturbance adversely affects regeneration. But, however, the high number of young individuals of Coriaria nepalensis, a small non-leguminous nitrogen fixing tree, in disturbed forests shows that the forest is regenerating. This species could be helpful in the re-establishment of original vegetation through triggering the regeneration of these forests. High elevation–low disturbed forests separated from low elevation–high disturbed forests. Forest type and elevation may have more influence on tree richness while shrub and herb richness may be more sensitive to disturbance and forest types.     

黑石顶自然保护区森林次生演替过程中群落主要种的种间协变分析

采用2×2列联表,通过Pearson积矩相关系数和Speaman秩相关系数对黑石顶森林次生演替过程中各阶段群落优势种的种间协变进行了定量分析。结果表明,在演替初期的裸地恢复阶段,显著种间协变的种对较多,有14对(正协变9对负协变5对),在针阔混交林阶段,显著种间协变的种对较少,仅有5种。全为正协变,表现为主要种间对群落环境的相同要求,并形成了主要种间的竞争格局,在阳生性常绿阔叶林阶段。显著种间协变的种对最少,只有4对,其中3对为负协变,这是主要种之间对群落环境相同要求的激烈竞争结果,在中生性常绿阔叶林阶段,显著种间协变的种对最多有20对,19对为正协变,主要表现为群落上层种和中下层种间形成了大量的正协变,但群落上层主要种间无显著的种间协变。     

Phenology of tree layer species from the timber line around Kumaun in Central Himalaya,India

Phenology of tree layer species from the timber line of Kumaun in Central Himalaya was carried out during the years 1988-1989. The study indicates the prevalence (66%) of deciduous tree species at timber line vegetation. Growth initiation started in early summer with the rise of temperature. Different phenophases succeeded one another, culminating in leaf drop with the advent of winter. The various phenophases of the tree species at timber line have been discussed and compared with the lower Himalayan forests of Kumaun in India. The present study also supports the idea that the intense fluctuations in environmental conditions determine the onset of different growth activities within the short growing season.Financial support from the Department of Environment, New Delhi and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi is gratefully acknowledged.     

A quantitative study of the forest floor biomass,litter fall and nutrient return in a Pinus roxburghii forest in Kumaun Himalaya

The present paper reports on the forest floor biomass, litter fall, nutrient return and turnover of organic matter in a Pinus roxburghii forest in Kumaun Himalaya. Peak values of fresh leaf litter, partially decomposed litter and wood litter on the forest floor occurred in April, May and September, respectively. The relative contribution of partially decomposed material to total forest floor biomass remained greatest throughout the annual cycle. The biomass of herbaceous vegetation was maximal in September with a total annual net production of 151 g m^-2. The total annual litter fall was 895 g m^-2, of which tree, shrub and herb litters accounted for 82.4%, 0.6%, and 16.8%, respectively. Annual nutrient return in kg ha^-1 through litter fall amounted to 278.6 ash, 73.9 N, 5.5 P, 79.7 Ca, 15.1Mg, 20.7 K and 3.6Na. The turnover rate for tree litter was 48% and that for various nutrients on the forest floor ranged between 40–79%.     

Spatial hints of forest ecotone indicating forest succession, a case of larch forests in Baihuashan Reserve, north China

In cold or alpine areas of northern China, birch forests and larch forests are the two primary forest types. These forests are also characteristic of a south branch of boreal forests in Asia. Some ecologists argue that larch forests can replace birch forests, but this still remains a question due to fragmentary or short observations. The ecotone between a larch forest patch and a birch forest patch is the arena in which the two species interplay and compete with each other, and studies of these areas are meaningful to understanding forest succession. In the alpine area of the Baihuashan Reserve, northern China, we sampled a larch-birch forest ecotone with eight plots in four transects and then analyzed population structures of larches and birches. The results show that the edges of the larch forest patch are composed of many larch saplings or young trees, but the edges of the birch forest patch are mainly composed of old birches. Across the ecotone, the larches, on average, are taller than the birches. These facts suggest that larch saplings can permeate into birch forest patches, probably by seed dispersal, germination, success-ful competition and growth, but birch saplings cannot permeate into larch forest patches. Therefore, on the ecotone, larch forest patches can steadily expand by unceasing permeation into birch forest patches, whereas birch forest patches progressively recede due to ultimate death of the old and poor recruitment of the young. Larch forest patches replace birch forest patches in a stepwise manner, causing succession from birch forests to larch forests. This study not only confirms that larch forests can naturally replace birch forests, but also introduces a simple and reliable method, employing spatial hints, to study forest succession. Additionally, the findings are of benefit to cultivation or development of larch forests in cold or alpine areas of the North Temperate Zone, which can be a huge carbon sink.     

森林演替在南亚热带森林生态系统碳吸存中的作用

研究了鼎湖山南亚热带森林同一演替系列中3个不同演替阶段(马尾松针叶林、马尾松荷木混交林和季风常绿阔叶林)生态系统碳贮量和分配格局特征,并探讨了该地区森林演替过程中生态系统碳吸存潜力和速度。结果表明:(1)针叶林各组分碳素含量高于阔叶林对应组分的碳素含量(后者是前者的72.0%～94.5%)。两个森林植物碳素含量,不同层次比较,均为乔木层>灌木层>草本层,不同器官比较,以根或干最高。(2)乔木层生物量随森林演替进展而增加。针叶林、混交林和阔叶林乔木层生物量分别为:143.5t/hm2、270.1t/hm2和407.8t/hm2,其中大部分由干和皮组成(各器官占乔木层生物量的比例平均为:叶2.8%、枝19.3%、干和皮混合57.0%、根20.9%)。林下层生物量为4.23～14.10t/hm2,是乔木层的1.0%～9.8%,随森林演替进展而减少。(3)土壤容重随深度增加而增加,但随森林演替进展而减少。与土壤容重相反,土壤有机碳含量随深度增加而明显减少,但随森林演替进展而增加。(4)3种类型森林生态系统碳总贮量分别为135.8t/hm2、215.1t/hm2和259.7t/hm2。生态系统碳贮量在各组分的格局十分相似,植被、土壤和凋落物层所占比例均分别约为67.6%、30.2%和2.2%。与其它地带森林比较,鼎湖山保护区森林植被与土壤碳贮量之比和表层(0～20cm)的土壤碳占整个     

Early herbaceous succession along a topographical gradient on forest clear-felling sites in mountainous terrain,central Japan

Early successional patterns of herbaceous communities in forest clear-felling sites were investigated along a topographical gradient, which included ridge, slope and valley habitat types, in warm-temperate evergreen forest regions of central Japan for 5 years. Three dominant species with wind-dispersed seeds played a major role in the succession: an annual,Crassocephalum crepidioides, a biennial,Erigeron canadensis, and a perennial,Miscanthus sinensis. Pioneer herbs that have a seed-bank strategy, which are common in old field succession, were not found in the mountainous sites. The persistence of the annual or biennial dominants during the very early stages of secondary succession was different in the three topographical habitat types. In the ridge habitat,M. sinensis dominated from the first year state, andC. crepidioides andE. canadensis were less prominent.Crassocephalum crepidioides andE. canadensis became dominant as one moved down the slope. In the valley habitat,C. crepidioides dominated in the first year stage, was succeeded byE. canadensis in the second year, and thenM. sinensis gradually replaced it in later years. As all three wind-dispersed dominants simultaneously invaded in all the habitat types after clear-felling, the different successional patterns along the topographical gradient might have resulted from differences in the establishment ability and the growth rate of the three dominants depending on the three habitat types.     

中国西南地区热带森林演替序列碳动态

热带森林的破坏是全球性问题,我国西双版纳森林覆盖率受砍伐、火烧和短期耕种丢荒后,面积不断减少,取而代之的是大面积的不同演替状态的次生林。次生林演替过程中的碳储量和碳平衡的变化目前还鲜有研究,为了进一步揭示我国西南地区热带森林演替对于碳蓄积的影响,并制定更科学的热带森林经营管理措施,以结构复杂、生物多样和生物量巨大的热带森林为研究对象,并利用3个热带次生林的样地的实测数据,探讨了不同演替状态的热带次生林的碳储量变化,以及森林的净碳蓄积,死亡碳损失和更新碳增长等碳动态规律,分析表明:(1)在森林的演替过程中,森林的胸径分布频度从近正态分布逐渐向小径级的偏态分布发展,也就是随着演替的进展,小径级林木所占的比例越来越高。(2)热带次生林在森林固碳方面发挥着不可忽略的作用。(3)小的干扰,会波及森林的碳动态;大的干扰,如火灾和砍伐,将导致森林的次生演替,对森林的碳动态产生不可逆转的改变。(4)干旱事件是影响凋落物的季节和年间动态的原因,也是短时间尺度上影响碳平衡的一个重要因子。(5)不论原生林还是次生林,大树在生态系统碳动态方面皆扮演着重要的角色,因此本研究推荐注重大树的研究。     

Heterogeneous dispersal of tree litterfall corresponding with patchy canopy structure in a temperate mixed forest

Spatial dispersal patterns of fine litter were analyzed in relation to forest structure within a temperate mixed stand, in northeastern Japan. The canopy layer was a mosaic of two types of patches, those of shade-tolerant Abies firma (estimated age being 81–146 yrs.) and early successional deciduous broad-leaved trees (about 45 yrs. of age). Litter input to the forest floor was observed for a period of three years using 38 traps set at a height of 1.2 m. The average annual total of fine litter was 6.233 (dw.) metric tons hectare^-1, 85.7% of the total litterfall. Fine litter was mostly leaves from the overstory (about 64%). Litter distribution maps were drawn, using the Davis's grid method, of the total fine litter and its two main elements, namely A. firma (a 36.1% share) and deciduous broad-leaved species (36.7%). The mosaic distribution of heterogeneous patches of litter was seem to corresponded with distribution of the canopy structure.     

Structural diversity and representativeness of forest vegetation in a protected area of Kumaun Himalaya, India: implications for conservation

Forest vegetation of a Protected Area (Askot Wildlife Sanctuary) in Kumaun (west Himalaya) was analysed for structure, composition and representativeness. A high percentage of non-natives was noticed in herbaceous flora of all representative forest types. Floristic representativeness in all growth forms (tree, shrub and herbs) increased significantly (tree, p<0.05; shrub and herbs, p<0.01) with altitude. The population structures of trees suggest, (i) expansion of riverine and Pinus roxburghii forests; (ii) compositional changes in Quercus leucotrichophora and Quercus lanuginosa forests, largely owing to preferred extraction demand of inhabitants; and (iii) infrequent regeneration and declining population of Quercus semecarpifolia and Abies pindrow forests. The possible pathways of non-native introduction in the study area were examined. Considering the existing status of forest vegetation and future trends, proliferation of non-native species in most forest types was discussed. It is suggested that the compositional changes vis-a`-vis proliferation of non-native species need priority attention while initiating conservation activities in the reserve.     

岩溶型铝土矿尾矿堆不同自然演替阶段苔藓植物多样性特征

按空间代替时间序列的方法,对贵州省修文县小山坝岩溶型铝土矿区尾矿堆5个不同自然演替阶段苔藓植物多样性进行了研究。结果显示：（1）苔藓植物共有11科18属31种,其中藓类9科16属29种,苔类2科2属2种。在演替过程中,苔藓植物生活型单一,仅矮丛集型（占67.7%）和交织型（占32.3%）,矮丛集型占优势地位。苔藓植物物种组成简单,纯群落较多,混合群落随演替阶段逐渐增多。（2）不同自然演替阶段苔藓植物群落Shannon-Wiener指数、Pielou均匀度指数和丰富度指数有所不同,裸岩阶段最低（0.196、0.283和-1.930）,草灌丛阶段最高（3.470、1.281和2.342）,乔灌木阶段逐渐下降（2.128、0.887和1.267）。苔藓植物种的替代速率与相似性变化趋势相反。小山坝岩溶型铝土矿区尾矿堆苔藓植物多样性在5个不同自然演替阶段呈先上升后下降的变化规律,多样性水平总体呈上升趋势,研究结果可为岩溶型铝土矿区生态恢复和生物多样性保护提供基础资料。     

The effects of disturbance on forest structure and diversity at different altitudes in Garhwal Himalaya

The effects of disturbance on forest structure and diversity along an altitudinal gradient in the temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical regions of Garhwal Himalaya were assessed. Each region was further categorized into undisturbed (UD), mildly disturbed (MD), and highly disturbed (HD) sites on the basis of magnitude of disturbance in these forests. On UD sites of temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions, Quercus leucotrichophora, Anogeissus latifolia and Holoptelea integrifolia were the dominant tree species respectively. The highest values of tree density (1028 ind*hm-2) and total basal cover at breast height (31.70 m2 *hm-2) were recorded for UD site of temperate region, whereas maximum species diversity (3.128) and equitability (14.09) values were observed for HD site of tropical region. The structure and composition of the forests were greatly affected by the degree of disturbance.     

Forest succession in Kibale National Park, Uganda: implications for forest restoration and management

Forest succession was studied in four plots in former grasslands at the Ngogo study area in Kibale National Park, Uganda. The plots were located in areas that had been protected from fire for 0.58, 25, 9 and ≈30 years for plots 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Species richness reflected the length of time that the plot had been protected from fire; it was highest in plot 4 and lowest in plot 1. Species density, stem density and basal area were all highest in plot 4 and lowest in plot 1. The species densities of plots 2 and 3 were not different. Similarly, plots 2 and 4 did not differ with regard to stem density or basal area. Animal seed dispersers played a vital role in the colonization of grasslands by forest tree species.