Vegetational diversity of a deciduous forest from West Bengal

Abstract

Aim of the present study was to compare the floristic composition, phytosociological parameters such as frequency, density, basal area and importance value index (IVI) of hill top, foot hill and stream side region of a tropical dry deciduous forest range. The name of the forest range is Banspahari which is situated in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. The result indicated Shorea robusta Gaertn. as the most ecologically dominant species in these three study sites of the said forest range. Phytosociological analysis revealed that the forest types of hill top, foot hill and stream side forest is Shorea – Diospyros – Buchanania, Shorea – Terminalia – Buchanania and Shorea – Terminalia – Anogeissus respectively. Total tree basal area was estimated to be 55.16 m2/ha in the hill top site, 44.38 m2/ha in the foot hill site and 36.4 m2/ha in the stream side region. Total tree density, concentration of dominance value and the species diversity were calculated. Total density and concentration of dominance value is higher in the foot hill site but species diversity is higher in the stream side forest site.