Abstract
Phytosociological studies were conducted in three vegetation types in the WS II area of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. In each vegetation type, 85 quadrats (10 x 10 m) were laid to quantify the vegetation. Natural forest showed comparatively higher species richness than plantation and vayal (swamps/low lying grassland). In natural forest 96 plant species were present while it was 70 and 66 respectively in plantation and vayal. Fabaceae was the dominant family in all the three vegetation types. The natural forest was dominated by Chromolaena odorata, followed by Lantana camara, Mimosa pudica, Terminalia elliptica, Glycosmis pentaphylla. In the plantations, Chromolaena odorata, Tectona grandis, Mimosa pudica and Glycosmis pentaphylla showed dominance. The vayal was dominated by Arundinella leptochloa. The second most dominant species in the vayal was Chromolaena odorata. Other dominant species were Kyllinga nemoralis and Sporobolus tenuissimus. Among the three, vayal recorded the highest Simpson Diversity Index. The highest Berger-Parker Dominance Index value in plantation indicates the presence of dominant species. Natural forests recorded highest Margalef Richness Index and the least was in vayal. The highest Pielou’s Wiener Equitability Index in vayal indicated all species are evenly distributed.
Highlights
Forests are the principal bio-resources and repositories of natural wealth that support human well-being and ecological sustainability (Sarkar 2016)
The phytosociological study was done in WS-II which has been divided into three forest ranges, namely, Muthanga, Kurichiat, and Sulthan Bathery
Overall 129 plant species representing 111 genera were recorded from the three ecosystems (Table 2)
Summary
Forests are the principal bio-resources and repositories of natural wealth that support human well-being and ecological sustainability (Sarkar 2016). Phytosociological studies are necessary for protecting the biodiversity and natural plant communities (Rao et al 2015). These are very essential components for understanding the changes accomplished in the past and future (Hamzaoglu 2006). Most of the forests in the world today are under extensive anthropogenic disturbances and require careful management intervention to maintain overall biodiversity and sustainability (Kumar et al 2006). As plants provide both food and habitat for other organisms (Das et al 2015), the total forest diversity is a dependent factor of plant diversity. The overall strength of the forest rests on its plant composition, and the information on its composition, diversity and ecological aspects is of primary importance in conservation planning and implementation
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