Gap phase regeneration of tree species of differing successional status in a humid tropical forest of Kerala,India |
| |
Authors: | U M Chandrashekara P S Ramakrishnan |
| |
Institution: | (1) School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, 110 067 New Delhi, India;(2) Present address: Division of Agroforestry cum Publicity, Kerala Forest Research Institute, 680 653 Peechi, India |
| |
Abstract: | Germination, establishment and growth of seedlings of tree speciesPalaquium ellipticum (primary),Actinodaphne malabarica (late secondary) andMacaranga peltata (early secondary) were studied in a humid tropical forest at Nelliampathy, in the Western Ghats of Kerala. While the primary
species completed its germination within a brief period of 1.5 months, at the other extreme, early secondary species showed
slow germination extending for about 5 months, the late secondary species falling in between. Although, all the species studied
showed higher establishment and growth under gaps, the early secondary species were more responsive compared to the primary
species. Primary species showed better establishment in undisturbed sites and natural gaps than under selection felled gaps;
the reverse was true for late and early secondary species. Survival of seedlings increased with gap size, but sharply declined
with gap age. Shoot/root ratio was consistently higher in the early secondary species than in the primary species. |
| |
Keywords: | Canopy gaps humid tropical forest seed germination seedling establishment and growth Western Ghats |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|