VEGETATION AND GAP DYNAMICS OF A TROPICAL WET EVERGREEN FOREST IN THE WESTERN GHATS OF KERALA, INDIA

被引:48
作者
CHANDRASHEKARA, UM [1 ]
RAMAKRISHNAN, PS [1 ]
机构
[1] JAWAHARLAL NEHRU AGR UNIV,SCH ENVIRONM SCI,NEW DELHI 110067,INDIA
关键词
FOREST GAP DYNAMICS; FOREST SPECIES DIVERSITY; RAIN-FOREST REGENERATION; VEGETATION STRUCTURE; INDIA (WESTERN GHATS); WET EVERGREEN FOREST;
D O I
10.1017/S0266467400008014
中图分类号
Q14 [生态学(生物生态学)];
学科分类号
071012 ; 0713 ;
摘要
The wet evergreen forest of Nelliampathy in the Western Ghats of Kerala in India is a mixed forest with a high species diversity and basal cover. In this relatively undisturbed ecosystem, canopy gaps are largely formed through single tree fall, but gaps through branch fall, crown fall, standing dead trees or multiple tree fall also occur. Canopy gap formation is more (over 82% of the total gaps created) during the monsoon season. The mean number of gaps formed in this forest is 1.13 ha-1 y-1 and the turnover rate is 83 years. The majority of the gaps created (over 70%) are of smaller size (greater-than-or-equal-to 100 m2). In this forest, while some top canopy tree species (those capable of exceeding 25 m in height at maturity) such as Palaquium ellipticum and Mesua nagassarium are well represented in seedling, sapling and mature tree stages, others like Aglaia exstipulata and Mastixia arborea are observed only as saplings and/or mature trees with no seedling populations. The possible reasons for these two types of regeneration behaviour by top canopy tree species in the context of canopy gap size and seasonality in gap formation are discussed.
引用
收藏
页码:337 / 354
页数:18
相关论文
共 57 条
[31]  
Misra R., Ecology work book, (1968)
[32]  
Parsons R.F., Cameron D.S., Maximum plant species diversity in terrestrial communities, Biotropica, 6, pp. 202-203, (1974)
[33]  
Pascal J.P., Wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of India: Ecology, structure, Juristic composition and succession, Institut Francais De Pondicherry, Pondicherry, India., (1988)
[34]  
Pascal J.P., Ramesh B.R., A field key to the tree and lianas of the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats (India), Institut Francais de Pondicherry, (1987)
[35]  
Phillips E.A., Methods of vegetation study, (1959)
[36]  
Pielou E.C., The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 13, pp. 131-144, (1966)
[37]  
Poulson T.L., Platt W.J., Gap light regimes influence on canopy tree diversity, Ecology, 70, pp. 553-555, (1989)
[38]  
Proctor J., Anderson J.M., Chai P., Vallack H.W., Ecological studies of four contrasting lowland rain forest types of Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak. I. Forest environment, structure and floristics, Journal of Ecology, 71, pp. 237-260, (1983)
[39]  
Proctor J., Lee Y.F., Langley A.M., Munro W.R.C., Nelson T., Ecological studies on Gunung Silam, a small ultrabasic mountain in Sabah, Malaysia. I. Environment, forest structure and floristics, Journal of Ecology, 76, pp. 320-340, (1988)
[40]  
Rai S.N., Gap regeneration in wet evergreen forest of Karnataka, Karnataka Forest Department Research Paper, KFD, 2, (1979)